Kiss those toxins goodbye!

Supplements may support healthy detoxification without contributing to nutrient depletion 

If you’ve spent time with any health-orientated friends lately, you probably know a lot about detoxification. It’s a holistic health buzzword — and no, it’s not just a fad. As our world slowly becomes more toxic (allowing pollution into our water, air, food, and indoor living environments), understanding the body’s detoxification methods and how to care for them is vital. Detoxing should be one of your top concerns when considering good health. 

One of the most common ways to support detoxification processes is through supplementation. Binders (like activated charcoal, bentonite clay, and a drug called cholestyramine) that bind to toxins and flush them out are commonly used to detox the body. These compounds can do a lot to remove toxins, but they may also remove vital nutrients in their wake, as they also bind minerals, fatty acids, cholesterol and more essential nutrients. Using them long-term could impact your cellular health and leave you feeling tired and depleted.  

There are several supplements that may be used to support detoxification and the removal of toxins while still nourishing the cells and the whole body. Some of them include glutathione (a powerful antioxidant), butyrate, phospholipids and TUDCA (aka, tauroursodeoxycholic acid). 

The BodyBio approach to detoxification is not through the use of binders – they dive deep into the cellular level, investigating the ways toxins influence our cells, breaking them down, and ultimately, flushing them from our system. Toxins have the potential to latch onto our DNA, which can modify gene expressions, leading to the creation of abnormal proteins and lipids. By targeting health at its very foundation—the cellular level— genetic variations (also known as SNPs and pronounced “snips”) can be supported. Using a combination of phospholipids, essential fatty acids, and chemical chaperones such as butyrate and TUDCA, cellular function can be supported. This philosophy and commitment to cellular health is what sparked the inception of BodyBio over 30 years ago. 

Why Are Supplements Needed for Detox in the Modern World? 

The body is brilliant at detoxifying. When toxins enter your body, there are multiple ways they can be neutralised and escorted out of the body. Toxins may be subdued by the gut microbiome, flushed through the lymphatic system and/or processed through the liver. The kidneys, skin, digestive tract and even the brain are all involved in the process of detoxification too. 

So, if the body is so good at detoxifying, why do we need supplements for detox? 

The world is rapidly becoming more toxic around us. Our air, food, personal care products, and water supply are polluted by chemicals and microplastics that are getting into our digestive system and bloodstream. A steady dose of everyday chemicals, toxins and prescription drugs can quickly overload (and clog up) our detox pathways. 

Our bodies simply haven’t faced toxins on this scale before. 

Symptoms of Blocked Drainage — What Happens When We Can’t Detox? 

When our detox pathways are congested our bodies can’t properly get rid of toxins from our bloodstream. Most likely, they’ll recirculate through the bloodstream and lymph until they can find a way out — causing uncomfortable symptoms in the meantime. 

Common symptoms of congested drainage pathways may include: 

• Brain fog 
• Fatigue 

• Gut dysbiosis and poor digestion  
• Constipation 
• Muscle aches 
• Joint pain and stiffness 
• Weight gain (toxins can be stored in fat tissue) 

• Liver inflammation 
• Kidney stones 
• Recurring infections like UTIs or yeast 
• Puffiness and swelling 
• Headaches 

• Insomnia/sleep issues 
• Cellulite 
• Skin conditions (i.e., acne, eczema) 
• Difficulty sweating 

Supplements for Supporting Detoxification Processes (That Aren’t Binders!) 

There are a lot of holistic interventions you can use to get your drainage pathways moving again (read: exercise, lymphatic massage, dry brushing, sauna, lemon water, etc.) however, high-quality supplements can still provide detoxification support, especially in those with an existing health concern or that are experiencing any of the reduced detoxification process symptoms listed above. 

The BodyBio recommendations below are to support your body’s natural detoxification pathways, while preserving your nutrient status. 

Phospholipids 

Maybe you’re familiar with detoxification and binder drugs like cholestyramine, which work to bind toxins in the body and flush them out of the system. But did you know cholestyramine can also bind to vital nutrients, cholesterol, minerals, and dietary fats as well? If you’re taking this drug several times a day, as with intense mould detoxification protocols, you could be depleting your nutrient intake no matter how healthy your diet is. 

For a chronically ill person, this loss of nutrients could be detrimental to recovery, possibly even worse than the excess load of toxins. Instead of binders, BodyBio prefer a healthy blend of phospholipids, including phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphatidylinositol (PI), and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). Phospholipids assist with detoxification naturally without depleting the body of additional nutrients. As an added bonus, phospholipids also nourish the cell membranes and mitochondria, which is essential for a steady recovery. 

Chemical Chaperones: Butyrate and TUDCA 

Chemical chaperones are small molecules that assist in the folding, stability, and activity of proteins, especially under conditions where proteins are prone to misfolding. Misfolded proteins can lead to various diseases and cellular dysfunctions. Chemical chaperones can help prevent these unwanted conditions by ensuring that proteins attain their correct conformation or by stabilising the correctly folded state. Both butyrate and TUDCA are chemical chaperones. Further ways in which they support detoxifications processes are explored below.  

TUDCA 

Studied for its potential to act as a chemical chaperone, TUDCA may protect cells from stress, particularly stress that affects the endoplasmic reticulum, a cellular organelle involved in protein folding and processing. 

TUDCA is a bile salt that has been used for eons in Chinese medicine that helps support bile movement in the liver and gallbladder. Most toxins are processed through the liver, so when the liver is overloaded, it may become sluggish and not work as well as it should. This also impacts gallbladder function and health. 

The gallbladder is critical for storing bile, which naturally sequesters certain toxins that enter the body with our food and drink. Digesting fats may become more difficult, and inflammation can skyrocket as toxins are reabsorbed into the body until they can be filtered out. 

Humans only produce a small amount of TUDCA, so supplementation is often recommended when toxin overload comes into play. Since TUDCA also helps with the digestion of fats, it can also help support absorption of vitamins and minerals from those fats — more TUDCA could mean more nutrients for your cells. 

BodyBio Tip: TUDCA can often be taken with ox bile. This is because there are four essential bile acids in the body that are needed to support a careful balance. Ox bile ensures you get the other three bile acids alongside TUDCA and don’t throw off that balance with long-term use. If you are using TUDCA for short-term toxin exposure or cycling it on and off, you may choose to use it on its own. 

Butyrate 

Primarily known as a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) naturally produced in our gut, butyrate also influences gene expression and can have protective roles in the cell. It may also help to break down toxins attached to our DNA. 

Many of us aren’t creating enough of it due to heavily processed foods and low-fibre diets. Enter butyrate supplements! Butyrate integrates naturally into the detoxification process by supporting our microbiome and gut lining. 

One of the best ways to get rid of toxins is through the bowels — but if your digestive system isn’t properly metabolising nutrients or working optimally, your detoxification process could be interrupted and significantly hinder your body’s ability to eliminate toxins. 

If you experience regular digestive disruption, butyrate may help to regulate your digestive movements to further support detoxification.  

Liposomal Glutathione 

This powerful antioxidant is used for detoxification throughout the entire body — starting with the cells. As an antioxidant, glutathione protects the cells from free radicals, moving nutrients in and waste out. This is why BodyBio suggest glutathione over other supplements like binders for detoxification. Typically, you won’t see nutrient depletion when supplementing with liposomal glutathione — instead, you may notice that it supports mental clarity, energy and overall wellness. 

BodyBio Revolutionising Detoxification 

BodyBio set out on a mission to help thousands of chronic illness sufferers find long-term healing. BodyBio has some exciting products formulated with detoxification in mind without depleting the nutrients cells require. View datasheets and the BodyBio Catalogue for more on these within the Resources hub section of our Practitioner Hub.