Detox and Weight Loss :: Weight Loss

Detox and Weight Loss
by author Brad J. King, MSc, MFS

What do food additives, caffeine and alcohol, medications, herbicides and pesticides, and household chemicals all have in common? Each must be rendered harmless by your body’s detoxification system in order for you to stay lean and healthy.

The thousands of toxins that overwhelm our detoxification system also increase our susceptibility to disease and hamper metabolism. So these toxins not only make us sick, they may in fact make us fat!

Environmental Toxins and Body Fat

A few years ago, an interesting hypothesis on the present obesity epidemic emerged from the Occupational and Environmental Health Research Group at Stirling University in Scotland. The researchers pointed to evidence indicating that the body’s metabolism does not function properly in those suffering from obesity. Researchers went on to say that the current level of human exposure to synthetic organic and inorganic chemicals might be responsible for damaging many of the body’s natural weight-control mechanisms.

Other research conducted by Dr. Theo Colborn at the University of Florida in Gainesville has revealed a direct correlation between environmental chemicals and their adverse effects on our hormonal systems. Many chemicals have a xenoestrogenic effect due to their estrogen-mimicking activity inside the body. These chemicals can easily create an enhanced environment for our bodies to store fat, all the while making it difficult to lose it.

Your Internal Washing Machine

Your liver is not only the largest of the internal organs, it is your body’s premiere cleaning and removal station for both internal toxins (those produced by your own metabolism) as well as external toxins (including xenoestrogens).

As long as your liver keeps functioning at maximum capacity and isn’t overloaded with toxins, it remains the body’s premiere fat-burning organ. Research published in the International Journal of Obesity indicates that liver toxicity can often lead to excess body fat accumulation. Moderately obese people frequently suffer from liver dysfunction.

Further, researchers have discovered that excess body fat is synonymous with liver disorders. Research from the University of Occupational and Environmental Health in Kitakyshu, Japan, indicated that obesity is more closely related to liver dysfunction than to any other abnormality.

These are some very good reasons to keep your liver as healthy as possible. For liver health, drink at least 10 (8-oz) glasses of filtered water each day and avoid excessive caffeine and alcohol consumption.

By maintaining a healthy detoxification system, you will ensure a healthier metabolism and overall health profile.

Brad J. King, MSc, MFS, is a nutritional researcher and author of five books, including the international best-seller Fat Wars (Wiley, 2004). Subscribe to his free monthly newsletter at fatwars.com.

Source: alive #269, March 2005

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