Why are some people more prone to heavy metal toxicity?

Heavy metal toxicity

Why are some people affected more than others?

WHAT IS DETOXIFICATION AND WHY DO IT?

For an increasing number of people living in a more polluted and stressful world, our body can become overburdened and strained by toxins that may lead to health problems. 

These toxins can be categorised as follows: 

1. Antinutrients such as high-fructose corn syrup, trans fats, caffeine, alcohol, and processed foods
2. Internal metabolic toxins such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide, bile, urea, free radicals, and stool
3. Medications used improperly, inappropriately, or too often
4. Heavy metals such as mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium, tin, and aluminum
5. Chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, cleaning prod- ucts, solvents, and glues
6. Allergens such as food, mold, dust, pollen, and chemicals
7. Infectious organisms such as bacteria, viruses, yeast, and parasites

Why are some people affected more than others?

Polymorphisms such as MTHFR can cause people to hold onto toxins and heavy metals more than people that don’t have genetic polymorphisms

Deficiency of protective minerals such as Zinc

Ongoing exposure

Poor gut function

What is MTHFR?

MTHFR is an enzyme that adds a methyl group to folic acid to make it usable by the body. The MTHFR gene produces this enzyme that is necessary for properly using vitamin B9. This enzyme is also important for converting homocysteine into methionine, which the body needs for proper metabolism and muscle growth and which is needed for glutathione production. The process of methylation also involves the enzyme from the MTHFR gene, so those with a mutation may have trouble effectively eliminating toxins from the body.

Exposure to toxic heavy metals is believed to be a contributing factor of symptoms like weight gain, low energy, gut health, inflammation, and cognitive changes. Harmful chemicals are everywhere so it’s not possible to totally avoid toxic metals but with proper nutrition the body begins to function optimally.

A good detox protocol can help your body eliminate more toxins by supporting your natural detoxification pathways, following a heavy metal detox plan is one of the best ways to start reversing symptoms.

Foods to help your body detoxify include leafy green vegetables and non-starchy vegetables, and plenty of them.By eating organic, grass fed meats including bone broth and wild caught fish, by adding herbs, spices and other superfoods such as chlorella. Using stainless steel and glass cookware, avoiding chemicals perfumes, make up, additives, fumes, fertilisers and pesticides.

What are heavy metals?

Heavy metals are elements that are toxic at even low concentrations as the body has no use for them. These include mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium and aluminium. These heavy metals can be found in organs and the body’s fat cells.

Long-term exposure to heavy metals may lead to physical, muscular, and neurological degenerative processes. 

At high concentrations even, essential minerals can be toxic.

The toxicity depends on a number of factors

Cadmium - anaemia, anosmia (lack of smell)

Lead - abdominal pain, constipation and lethargy

Mercury - foggy head, leaky gut with food sensitivities, anxiety, restlessness, Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD, fatigue

Aluminium - deterioration of mental function, learning difficulties in children, interference with normal immune function and constipation

                                     

Testing for suspected heavy metal toxicity

Your doctor or integrative practitioner or naturopath will be able to conduct tests for heavy metal toxicity in the form of hair analysis or a blood test.

 The benefits of doing a heavy metal detox 

Detoxification would include diet modification, nutritional, mineral and vitamin supplementation and chelation. Many of the diet and lifestyle changes applied to a detox regime would include increasing good fats and reducing starch and sugars. These diet modifications will be beneficial for immune system function, gut health, liver function, improvements in energy levels, improvements in mental clarity, attention and memory as well as protection against inflammatory diseases such as cognitive disorders and autoimmune disease.

How to Detox 

Ways to detox the body of heavy metals include making dietary changes and using herbs and supplements, which help to break down metals into smaller molecules so they can be removed from urine, faeces and sweat. 

Supplements that can help detoxification

Chlorella

Glutathione

Selenium

Vitamins such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin B

Probiotics

Milk Thistle

Herbs such as coriander, alfalfa, garlic, echinacea, gingko biloba

Since there can be potent effects of food-based nutrients on detoxification pathways, it’s best to follow a mixed, complex, and whole-foods diet as well as dietary supplements.

 

Food, beverages, and bioactive compounds with demonstrated, or potential, clinical impact on detoxification systems. Food or beverage Nutrient bioactive compounds Allium vegetables such as onions, chives, leek Astaxanthin  Apiaceous vegetables carrots, parsnips, celery, parsley, etc. Caffeic acid  Black raspberry  Catechins (including EGCG)  Black tea  Chrysin  Blueberry  Curcumin  Chamomile tea  Daidzein  Chicory root  Ellagic acid  Citrus  Ferulic acid  Coffee  Fish oil  Cruciferous vegetables (with potential  Genistein  for distinct effects of different  Luteolin  crucifers)  Lycopene  Dandelion tea  MCTs  Garlic  Myricetin  Ghee  N-acetyl cysteine  Ginger  Naringenin Grapefruit  Quercetin  Green tea  Resveratrol  Honeybush tea  Retinoic acid (vitamin A) Peppermint tea    Pomegranate    Purple sweet potato    Rooibos tea    Rosemary    Soybean/black soybean    Turmeric

 

1. Balch PA, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 5^th Avery. NY
2. Watts D. Trace Elements and other Essential Nutrients, 6^thWriter’s B-L-O-C-K 2010
3. A review of toxicityand mechanisms of individual and mixtures of heavy metals in the environment.Wu X, Cobbina SJ, Mao G, Xu H, Zhang Z, Yang L. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2016 May;23(9):8244-59. doi: 10.1007/s11356-016-6333-x. Epub 2016 Mar 11. Review.
   Select item 286438493.
4. Prevalence of exposure of heavy metalsand their impact on health consequences.Rehman K, Fatima F, Waheed I, Akash MSH.J Cell Biochem. 2018 Jan
5. [Synergistic application of zinc and vitamin C to support memory, attention and the reduction of the risk of the neurological diseases].Gromova OA, Torshin IY, Pronin AV, Kilchevsky MA. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2017
6. [Synergistic application of zinc and vitaminC to support memory, attention and the reduction of the risk of the neurological diseases].Gromova OA, Torshin IY, Pronin AV, Kilchevsky MA. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2017
7. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism: epidemiology, metabolism and the associated diseases Liew SC¹, Gupta ED².
8. Integrative Medicine (Fourth Edition)2018, Pages 996-1003.e2
9. Apiaceous vegetable constituents inhibit human cytochrome P-450 1A2 (hCYP1A2) activity and hCYP1A2-mediated mutagenicity of aflatoxin B1. Peterson S¹, Lampe JW, Bammler TK, Gross-Steinmeyer K, Eaton DL.
10. Chelation: Harnessing and Enhancing Heavy Metal Detoxification—A Review Margaret E. Sears^*
11. Dietary Strategies for the Treatment of Cadmium and Lead Toxicity Qixiao Zhai,¹ Arjan Narbad,² and  Wei Chen^1,3,*