The liver is the master organ for
creating optimal nutrition for all the 50 trillion cells in your body. The liver is the
body's largest organ, weighing three to five pounds in adults. It uses 12 - 20% of the
body's total energy, and it must generate this energy to it's own cells. The liver
routinely performs over 500 known functions to regulate your cell's metabolism. It is the
"alchemical wizard" of the body, transforming toxins into harmless chemicals for
excretion, and digestively absorbed nutrients into the proper biochemical forms your cells
can use to function. Yet the liver is probably the organ most assaulted by toxic modern
lifestyles, full of pollution, stress, junk foods, drugs, etc. In the US 40000 deaths a
year are due to liver disease. Yet most people will never suffer from hepatitis,
cirrhosis, or jaundice, the "classic" liver diseases. Toxic modern lifestyles
may however promote "subclinical" liver disfunction. And, as this review will
make clear, no matter how good your diet and digestion, if your liver does not perform its
many jobs properly, your cells can still be grossly malnourished. Optimal nutrition is a
function, not just of what we eat and digest, but of how well the liver bio-transforms
incoming food nutrients into forms that the bloodstream can transport to all the body's
cells, and that the cells can use to perform their metabolic functions.
Key Liver Functions
1. The liver converts the thyroid
hormone thyroxin (T4) into its more active form tri-iodothyronine (T3). Thyroid
hormones act as the body's thermostat, regulating the rate at which virtually all
biochemical reactions occur in the body. Inadequate conversion of T4 to T3 by the liver
may lead energy-depleting hypothyroidism, leading to chronic fatigue, weight gain, poor
memory and a host of other problems.
2. The liver creates Glucose
Tolerance Factor (GFT) from chromium, niacin and possibly glutathione. GFT is
needed for the hormone insulin to properly regulate blood-sugar levels. Due to its
critical role in facilitating amino acid entry into muscle cells, GFT empowered insulin is
also a necessary co-factor for Growth Hormone to be effective in promoting muscle growth
in response to athletic training programs.
3. The liver manufactures bile
salts. These are used to emulsify fats and fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E, and K)
for proper digestive absorption. The liver also removes some fat-soluble toxins from the
body by first dissolving them in bile salts, then dumping the bile and toxin mixture into
the intestine for eventual fecal excretion.
4. The liver activates B vitamins
into their biologically active coenzyme forms. B1 must be made into thiamin
pyrophosphate, B2 into flavine adenine dinucleotide, B3 into nicotinadenine dinucleotide,
etc. The plant vitamin A precursor beta carotene must be turned into real vitamin A. Other
nutrients, such as iron and copper, must be changed by the liver into their appropriate
bloodstream transport or storage forms, such as ferritin or ceruloplasmin. Virtually every
nutrient, whether it be vitamin, mineral, amino acid, must be biotransformed into its
proper biochemical form in which the nutrient may be stored, transported or used in
cellular metabolism. If the liver does not properly activate nutrients into their
bioactive forms, then even the most well-absorbed, high potency, broad spectrum supplement
will be useless at best and possibly even mildly toxic.
The forms in which nutrients are found in
supplements and foods are NOT the final, active biochemical forms used by the cells. And
even if you do get the active coenzyme form of a nutrient from a food or supplement, it
will usually be broken down during digestion. So there's no getting around the critical
role of the liver in bio-activating the nutrients we get from foods or supplements.
5. The liver stores various
nutrients, especially A, D, B12 and iron, for release as needed.
6. The liver manufactures carnitine
from lysine and other nutrients. Carnitine is the only known bionutrient which
can "escort" fats into the mitochondria, where the fats may be
"burned" to generate ATP bio-energy. The mitochondria are microscopic
"power plants" found in each of the body's 50 trillion cells - as many as 1000
per cell! These mitochondria generate 90% of the ATP bio-energy that powers every aspect
of our life at the cellular level.The heart muscle "burns" fats to make ATP
almost exclusively, and is extremely sensitive to cellular carnitine deficits. The muscles
of well trained endurance athletes will "burn" fats to supply up to 70% of their
fuel needs. Carnitine is also necessary to get branched-chain amino acids (BCAA's) into
the mitochondria. BCAA's, supplied either from breaking down existing muscle tissue or
supplements, are known to provide a major portion of muscle cell fuel needs during
prolonged, intense athletic training or performance.
7. The liver converts lactic acid
from a toxic waste to an important storage fuel. Lactic acid is produced when
glucose (sugar) is metabolized through the glycolytic energy production cycle, and may
irritate nerves and muscles if it accumulates to excessive levels. However, a healthy
liver will extract lactic acid dumped into the bloodstream by hard-working muscles and
convert it into the important reserve endurance fuel glycogen.
8. The liver serves as the main
glucose buffer, preventing high or low extremes of blood sugar. It is the key
regulator of blood sugar between meals, due to its manufacture, storage and release of
glycogen. Glycogen is the starch form of glucose in which the body can store a half days
sugar supply. When the blood sugar is low, a healthy liver converts stored glycogen into
glucose, releasing it into the bloodstream to raise blood sugar levels. When blood sugar
is to high, the healthy liver will remove much of it, converting the excess into stored
glycogen or fat.
9. The liver can make glucose from
dietary or body-derived amino acids. This process called gluconeogenesis or
"the making of new glucose", ensures adequate brain and muscle carbohydrate fuel
supplies even when the diet provides little or no carbohydrates. The liver produces as
much as 20-25% of the blood sugar and endurance athlete's muscles might burn during
intense training or competition by converting the amino alanine (released from muscle
tissue) into glucose.
10. The liver is the chief
regulator of protein metabolism. It converts different amino acids into each
other as needed. The liver also synthesizes creatine from the aminos glycerin, arginine,
and methionine. If not for the super high energy biochemical creatine phosphate,
sprint-type athletics would be biologically impossible.
11. The liver produces cholesterol
and packages it into different forms for blood transport :
HDL, LDL, VLDL. Essential fatty acids, such as linoleic acid, GLA, EPA, and DHA, must also
be properly packaged by the liver into appropriate lipoprotein forms (VLDL) to allow
transport through the blood to the 50 trillion cells using the fatty acids.
12. The liver is the main
poison-detoxifying organ in the body. It must break down virtually everything
toxic to the body- from metabolic wastes, to insecticide residues, drugs and alcohol
industrial and food processing chemicals, etc. Failure of this liver function will usually
cause death in twelve to twenty-four hours. The liver uses a relatively small number of
enzyme- systems - called " Mixed Function Oxidases" - to detoxify the 10.000 or
more chemicals polluting modern food, air, and water. Ironically, in metabolizing some
toxic chemicals through its standard limited repertoire of detoxifying processes, the
liver may inadvertently convert a toxic substance into an even more damaging toxin!
13. The liver must dispose of
ammonia, an extremely toxic by-product of protein metabolism. The amino acids
arginine and orthinine are used by the liver to control ammonia levels. Ammonia can cause
brain irritation and even death, at surprisingly low levels.
14. The liver is the main organ for
breaking down hormones after they have served their messenger function to their target
cells. For example, if the liver does nor break down insulin quickly enough,
hypoglycemia results as the still circulating insulin continues to lower blood sugar. If
the liver does not metabolize estrogen properly, PMS will result. Failure to dispose of
adrenaline (the "fight" or"flight" hormone) after it has outlived its
usefulness may lead to chronic irritability and temper explosions.
This brief review, which has not even
touched on other key liver functions, such as immune functions and blood clotting protein
manufacture, should make clear the central role of the liver in promoting optimal cellular
nutrition.
A brief survey of
mild liver dysfunction symptoms sounds like a description of
"normal" modern life. These might include chronic fatigue and feeling tired
after meals. Depression, mood instability, and irrational anger and temper flare-ups may
be liver related. PMS symptoms, including breast soreness and sensitivity, depression,
hypoglycemia and irritability, may be liver related. Morton Biskind, M.D., published
several articles in endocrinology journals in the early 1940's linking PMS to a B-vitamin
and protein deficient liver's difficulty in de-activating estrogen. Nausea, dietary fat
intolerance, foul smelling gas, swollen belly, loss of appetite, constipation and diarrhea
are some of the digestive toxic-liver symptoms. Aching joints and muscles, sore feet,
psoriasis, and slow wound healing are common dysfunction symptoms. Headaches (especially
behind the eyes,) insomnia, difficulty awakening, poor memory, and difficulty
concentrating are possible brain liver symptoms.
Who Is At Risk for
Subclinical Dysfunction?
1. People routinely consuming
large amounts of overheated, hydrogenated, "junk food" fats-- for
example, French fries, fried chicken, doughnuts, chips, etc. These heated "junk
foods" are a major source of liver-toxic lipid peroxides (rancid fats) and
trans-fatty acids (abnormal structure fats). Lipid peroxides are powerfully immune
suppressive, and damage liver cell membranes. Trans-fatty acids suppress production of
PGE1, a major liver-protecting anti-inflammatory prostaglandin.
2. Coffee drinkers.
Carcinogenic hydrocarbons are produced during roasting, and dark roasts are the worst
offenders. Also, coffee is grown entirely outside the U.S. and is often therefore sprayed
with high levels of pesticides that are not even allowed to be used inside the U.S. Only a
tiny fraction of coffee imported is checked for even some of the pesticides it is commonly
sprayed with.
3. Regular alcohol users. The
liver converts alcohol into toxic acetaldehyde during its alcohol detoxification process.
Acetaldehyde inhibits PGE1 production, is a powerful free radical inducer, and is largely
responsible for the liver, brain, heart, kidney, skin and blood vessels lining damage
associated with chronic alcoholism.
4. Smokers. While
many people are aware of smoking's negative effect on the lungs, less consideration is
usually given to its effects on the liver. Tobacco and marijuana smoke are rich airborne
stews of toxic benzpyrene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, cyanide, acetaldehyde, tars,
acrolein, etc. Since these get into the bloodstream through the lungs, the liver must
detoxify them. And virtually all the constituents of smoke are known to be at least mildly
liver-damaging.
5. People regularly driving on
crowded, exhaust-filled roads and highways. Auto and diesel exhaust contain
dozens of liver damaging poisons the liver is forced to detoxify including lead, sulfur,
and nitrogen oxides, acetaldehyde, cadmium, peroxyacetylnitrile, and more.
6. Women using birth-control
pills. In some cases, even as little as two or three weeks of use have been
documented to ruin the ability of the liver to detoxify naturally produced estrogen. The
livers of women on B vitamin/protein deficient diets may have difficulty metabolizing
estrogen to non-toxic estriol, leaving it instead in the form of liver toxic estradiol.
Estradiol is the form associated with hyper emotional states including explosive temper
and obsessive-compulsive tendencies.
7. Candida Patients.
Candida yeast ferments dietary sugars into liver-toxic acetaldehyde in the process of
turning sugar into energy. Candida also seems to increase gut and urinary levels of
ammonia, another liver toxin.
8. Arthritis, rheumatism, and
other chronic pain sufferers who were routinely exposed to higher than normal levels of
pesticides. Pesticides such as DDT, Aldrin, chlordane, lindane, 2,4,5T
dioxin, and toxaphene can cause chronic liver damage, even at body levels measured in
parts per billion, and tend to accumulate in body fat over a lifetime.
9. Farm workers, produce
handlers, and pest control workers are routinely exposed to higher than normal levels of
pesticides. Pesticides such as DDT, Aldrin, chlordane, lindane, 2,4,5T
dioxin, and toxaphene can cause chronic liver damage, even at body levels measured in
parts per billion, and tend to accumulate in body fat over time.
10. Industrial and service
workers routinely exposed to heavy metals (lead, cadmium, mercury), radioactive chemicals,
hydrocarbon solvents such as sulfuric acid and mixes like piranha, TCE, paint sprays and
beauty parlor chemicals.
11. Gas station workers and auto
mechanics. Gasoline, diesel fuel, motor oil, degreasing agents etc. are all
liver toxic and may be absorbed through the skin or by inhaling them.
12. Those on long term
prescription drug therapy. Dilantin, Phenobarbital, Nizoral etc. are some of
the many potentially liver toxic drugs. Those regularly abusing drugs illegal and legal
are at risk.
13. Athletes using
anabolic-synthetic variations of male hormone testosterone. Serious liver
damage is a medically recognized major side effect of chronic steroid abuse.
This list is by no means exhaustive, but it
should offer some clues as to whether the reader may be at risk for mild or severe chronic
liver damage.
Therapy That
Protects the Liver
Fortunately modern nutritional science has
discovered many nutritional measures to promote optimal liver function and detoxification,
even in the presence of unavoidable toxins. A major liver protecting nutrient is vitamin
E. E is generally recognized as the major lipid fat-soluble antioxidant in human tissue.
As a free radical/antioxidant expert Stephen Levine has noted, toxic xenobiotic (foreign
to the body) chemicals that may damage the liver during detoxification fall into four main
classes:
Toxins that are themselves radicals or
contain free radicals.
Toxins that are very reactive, and though
nor free radicals themselves, cause radicals to be formed in target molecules, e.g. ozone.
Toxins that can spontaneously yield free
radicals in the body, e.g. brain chemicals such as 1-dopa.
Toxins that are metabolically converted
to radicals derivatives in the body, e.g. carbon Tetrachloride, acids and other solvents,
etc. As early as 1973, N.R. Diluzio published studies demonstrating that many liver toxic
compounds caused their damage through creation of lipid peroxides (rancid fats) in liver
cells, and that this damage could be offset by supplementary vitamin E. Fatty
infiltration, in which streaks of fatty material interpenetrate the liver's structure, is
a common feature in alcoholism and in various liver diseases.
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