This month’s newsletter is available at my blog on saratoga.com

Here’s the preview:

How toxic our world has become is getting harder to ignore. The recent release of the CDC‘s Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals provided the most comprehensive assessment to date on the chemical exposure to the US population and its resultant health affects. The study estimated that an average of  212 chemicals can be found in an any individual’s blood or urine. Furthermore, out of these 212 chemicals, 75 are new and have never before been measured in the U.S. population until this study. (These new chemicals include acrylamide, arsenic, environmental phenols (including bisphenol A and triclosan), and perchlorateorate). What this translates to is a lot of extra burden placed on our body as the years go by, the main organ being affected is our detoxifying powerhouse- the liver.

The liver is responsible for not only detoxifying harmful substances, but it also cleanses the body of old red blood cells, converts ammonia to urea for exertion, and breaks down hormones. The liver is also involved with amino acid synthesis for proteins, the metabolism of  carbohydrate, protein, and lipids, synthesizing of platelets, blood clotting factors, and angitotensinogen hormone, and the formation of bile. Furthermore, your liver stores glucose, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, and copper.

There are many ways to support our liver. One is by aiding detoxifying pathways through our diet. Dark leafy greens and healthy lean proteins provide good support for the two liver detoxification pathways. “Greening our home” using chemical-free products and natural personal care products also reduces toxic burden. A final way to help out our liver is to avoid things which harm it such as excess alcohol, drugs, and processed foods. The top processed food offender today is high fructose corn syrup.

Below are some highlights in journal articles between liver disease and processed foods.

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