Everyone talks about "detox." Almost nobody understands how it actually works.
Your liver detoxifies in two phases. Phase 1 converts toxins into intermediate metabolites.
Phase 2 conjugates those intermediates with molecules that make them water-soluble for excretion.
Here's the problem.
Phase 1 often creates more reactive, more toxic intermediates than the original compounds. If Phase 2 can't keep up, you accumulate these intermediates.
Yes, you are creating more oxidative stress than if you'd left the original toxin alone.
Incomplete detoxification is worse than no detoxification.
Glutathione is the rate-limiting factor for Phase 2. It's your master antioxidant and the primary conjugation molecule for toxin elimination. When glutathione is depleted, Phase 2 stalls.
What depletes glutathione?
Chronic toxin exposure such as alcohol, medication, chemicals, oxidative stress and poor diet.
The conventional "detox" industry is mostly nonsense.
Juice cleanses, coffee enemas, foot baths. But supporting actual Phase 2 detoxification through glutathione optimization is legitimate biochemistry.
Your ability to detoxify determines your toxin tolerance and disease risk.
Oral glutathione is poorly absorbed and easily degraded in the gut.
So what can you do?
Have the things that help your body produce glutathione. Foods such as NAC (not NAD+), glycine, glutamine, Selenium, B vitamins and magnesium.
Add Vitamin C and alpha-lipoic acid, found in flaxseeds for example.
Liposomal glutathione or IV glutathione bypass absorption issues but are expensive and unnecessary.
The symptoms of poor Phase 2 detox are vague. Chemical sensitivity, chronic fatigue, brain fog, skin issues, poor medication tolerance, and hangover-like symptoms from minimal exposures.
So what can you do?
Supplement NAC 600-1200mg daily and glycine 10-15g daily to support glutathione synthesis.
Eat sulfur-rich food. Cruciferous vegetables, garlic, onions, eggs.
Test RBC glutathione if you have chemical sensitivity or chronic unexplained symptoms
NB: please consult a qualified expert before you medicate yourself.
Ritesh Bawri
Founder, Nira Balance. Harvard Medical School (Physiology) & Tufts Medical School (Nutrition). Helping people reverse lifestyle diseases through first-principles health science.