Table of Contents
What are metabolic toxins?
When you think about toxins, do you ever consider metabolic toxins?
First, this is simply an introductory page to bring attention to metabolic toxins. Also, during a consultation, I always refer to optimal nutrition to make certain all nutrients are at sufficient levels to be available to work in every metabolic pathway.
Metabolic pathways (also known as biochemical pathways) create metabolic toxins as natural byproducts such as ammonia, carbon dioxide, urea, nitrates, nitrites, nitrogen, phosphates, etc., that must be either converted back into a useful product for the body or eliminated from the body.
Metabolic pathways are a sequential series (as seen in the graphic) of enzymatic reactions of metabolites that include synthesis, transformation, or degradation. Basically, there are two types of pathways;
- Anabolic pathways – chemical reactions occurring are concerned with building up or production of larger, complex macromolecules from simpler micro molecules.
- Catabolic pathways – the breaking down of complex macromolecules into simpler, micro molecules and hence the release of a large amount of bond energy
Amphibolic pathways serve both anabolic and catabolic processes. (e.g., involves the catabolism of carbohydrates and fatty acids and the synthesis of anabolic precursors for amino-acid synthesis (e.g., a-ketoglutarate and oxaloacetate) in the Krebs cycle.)
Basically, enzymes are a linear chain of amino acids (between 68 to 2500) and govern all biological processes.
Many enzymes consist of amino acid chains. Most coenzymes are derived from vitamins and many others require vitamins and minerals (inorganic and organic) cofactors. A quick multiple reference; https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/cofactors
The next link is simply interesting!
How many biochemical reactions are in the body per second?
“Just in one cell, according to latest estimates, every second there are 9 milliards (10 billion in us) chemical reactions occurring. https://scienceoxygen.com/what-are-the-4-biochemical-reactions/
Albeit there are claims that the rates of chemical reactions are stellar, given roughly 37 trillion cells in the body, it does seem quite possible.
What contributes toward an excess of metabolic toxins?
The simple answer is “anything in your life that interferes with the dynamic balance of your biochemistry! Many factors may contribute toward an excess of metabolic toxins. However, the four most common and powerful factors today include:
- Stress – most specifically the chronic resistance stage of stress
- Improper food choices
- Improper supplement choices
- Nutrient imbalances
1. Stress – the chronic resistance stage of stress
Stress is well known to interfere with the digestive system that begins during the first stage of stress – the Alarm Stage – also referred to as the fight or flight stage of stress. As seen in stress and nutrition, each stage of stress places continual demands on your complete biochemistry.
As revealed throughout science, the chronic resistance stage of stress (read the references at bottom of page) due to the long-term demands on your biochemistry resulting in nutrient excesses and deficiencies, one becomes susceptible to many degenerative diseases such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and more.
Of great importance regarding stress is the effects produced on your digestive system that further contributes to greater imbalances due to lack of food digestion and nutrient absorption.
2. Improper food choices
As seen in healthy foods, most people do not “know” which nutrients are either excessive or deficient in their own body. As such, the widely promoted list of the top 100 “healthy foods” you need to consume now becomes the nutritional guiding light.
As you see in healthy foods, only foods that address your specific nutrient needs are truly healthy foods for you. Remember, your biochemistry is unique to you and referred to as biochemical individuality.
3. Improper dietary supplement choices
People consume dietary supplements for myriad reasons. However, I guarantee for most, it is not due to the information gleaned from a nutritional laboratory analysis that revealed nutrient deficiencies or excesses.
People are constantly programed through advertising about all the great benefits of our supplements. Supplements are marketed for brain fog, low energy, reverse aging, low libido, cancer fighters, for children, for the elderly, adrenal fatigue, chronic stress, healthy hair, healthy skin, and on and on.
To be fair, many people do their best to find supplements to maintain their health. However, most fail to actually be laboratory assessed to make certain they need the nutrients in the supplements.
4. Nutrient imbalances
As stated at the beginning of this segment, anything that interferes with the dynamic balance of your biochemistry! Nutrient imbalances include nutrient excesses and deficiencies, inherited enzyme deficits/defects, toxic elements, chemical toxicants, medications, stress, and so on. Metabolic toxins can produce a long list of symptoms and conditions throughout the mind and body.
Each metabolic pathway (urea cycle, citric acid cycle, carbohydrate metabolism, neurotransmitter metabolism, etc.) requires a specific combination and proper amount of essential nutrients (or derivatives) during each step of the process.
If there is a deficiency or excess of any of the nutrients needed for the specific metabolic pathway, the pathway is not completed in an efficient manner and may result in an excess of a metabolic toxin.
In any pathway, combinations of essential nutrients may be synthesized to produce additional metabolites required for the metabolic pathway to function properly.
How can I reduce metabolic toxins?
As previously revealed, proper nutrient balance and healthy foods specific to your needs are essential for reducing metabolic toxins.
A large percentage of metabolic toxins stems from the beginning – the digestive system. Numerous factors can compromise your digestive system. Here again, these include improper foods, supplements, medications, stress, and so on.
Our digestive system begins in the mouth. However, very few actually chew their food sufficiently before swallowing. Anyway, according to our lab results, most people (>80%) have a slow metabolism. A slow metabolism is normally associated with a more alkaline stomach environment needed to efficiently digest food. Your stomach must maintain an extremely acidic environment during the digestion process.
An alkaline stomach environment impairs the breakdown and complexing of nutrients for absorption throughout the digestive system. Even if you are consuming wholesome foods specific to your nutrient needs, an improper stomach environment is the beginning stage contributing to nutrient imbalances.
In addition, without a proper acidic environment in the stomach, many bacteria or pathogens survive and can pass through. This not only creates a potential for adverse effects from the bacteria but also reaps havoc on the dynamic balance of our digestive flora.
Keep in mind that even good digestive flora, when in excess, becomes a source of toxins!
Normally, with a well-nourished and properly functioning mind/body, potentially toxic by-products are reduced and excreted. Extremely complex processes reduce toxins to non-toxic forms for excretion through urine, feces, hair, skin, etc. Properly nourished, in this context, is a dynamic balance of ALL essential nutrients that include amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. This also includes being toxin free.
How can hair analysis help reduce metabolic toxins?
First, an Organic Acid lab analysis is an excellent metabolic toxin screening; however, it too, has its limitations. In this instance, we still recommend a nutritional/toxic element screening as your primary analysis.
Here’s why…
Nutritional elements are foundational in almost every metabolic pathway as well as enzymes and coenzymes. This occurs due to the direct and indirect association (nutrient interrelationships) with every other nutrient.
As such, nutritional elements have a natural synergistic and antagonistic relationship that, when required simultaneously in a pathway (i.e., zinc, copper, and iron), if one is deficient or excessive it can inhibit the proper functioning of the pathway. This increases the potential of a metabolic toxin.
In addition, toxic elements also interfere with metabolic pathways because of their antagonist effect on nutritional elements as well as other essential nutrients. This can further produce or contribute toward an increase of metabolic toxins.
Our hair analysis reveals both nutritional and toxic elements. Hair analysis reveals which minerals (both macro and micro-elements) are excessive or deficient. Due to known nutrient interrelationships (how each nutrient works with other nutrients), this also reveals needed cofactors (vitamins, amino acids, and fats) that are required to balance essential minerals and remove toxic elements.
By providing the body a variety of cofactors required too dynamically balance essential minerals, you reduce toxic elements, chemical toxins, and metabolic toxins.
Are you ready to get started?
Order your Hair Analysis today!
Additional pages that may interest you:
- Nutritional Toxins: What are they?
- Toxic Element Safety Guidelines: Find out what they don’t include!
- Toxic Element Accumulation: Bioaccumulation is the hidden danger of toxic elements.
- Chemical toxins: They are more prevalent than toxic elements.
- Detox the Body: What is the most efficient means for detoxification?
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REFERENCES
The adult human body is composed of ∼37 trillion cells of human origin and at least as many again as part of the human microbiota. Historically, cells have been defined based on their origin and morphology and more recently based on cell surface proteins, resulting in 200–500 defined major cell types
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The human microbiota consists of the 10-100 trillion symbiotic microbial cells harbored by each person, primarily bacteria in the gut; the human microbiome consists of the genes these cells harbor.
Ursell LK, Metcalf JL, Parfrey LW, Knight R. Defining the human microbiome. Nutr Rev. 2012 Aug;70 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S38-44. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2012.00493.x. PMID: 22861806; PMCID: PMC3426293. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3426293/#:~:text=The%20human%20microbiota%20consists%20of,these%20cells%20harbor%5B1%5D
Enzymes accelerate the rates of such reactions by well over a million-fold, so reactions that would take years in the absence of catalysis can occur in fractions of seconds if catalyzed by the appropriate enzyme. Cells contain thousands of different enzymes, and their activities determine which of the many possible chemical reactions actually take place within the cell.
Cooper GM. The Cell: A Molecular Approach. 2nd edition. Sunderland (MA): Sinauer Associates; 2000. The Central Role of Enzymes as Biological Catalysts. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9921/
For example, a single molecule of carbonic anhydrase can catalyse the conversion of over half a million molecules of its substrates, carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O), into the product, bicarbonate (HCO3−), every second—a truly remarkable achievement.
Robinson PK. Enzymes: principles and biotechnological applications. Essays Biochem. 2015;59:1-41. doi: 10.1042/bse0590001. Erratum in: Essays Biochem. 2015;59:75. PMID: 26504249; PMCID: PMC4692135. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26504249/