The liver detox system processes toxic compounds, such as alcohol, solvents, heavy metals, paracetamol, penicillin and hormones – these toxins are processed by the liver in two stages. First of all, they are changed into an intermediate form which is even more toxic, before they can bind to an amino acid or nutrient that will help their elimination in bile.

If this liver detox process is interrupted, because the liver has so many other substances to deal with, the intermediate toxic compounds can circulate in the blood causing all kinds of damage.

1. Three very real and very beneficial reasons you should perform a regular liver detox are:
2. If you want to know how to lose weight fast, a liver detox is the best way to start
3. The liver filters out free radicals produced by many toxin chemicals – less free radicals has real anti aging benefits

A healthy fat-free liver results in a healthy fat free body

If the liver is not getting the substances it needs to make bile, you will have trouble digesting food, particularly fatty foods. Bile can become congested with filtered elements and will get backed up in the bile ducts. In this case, you will not be able to metabolize fats and will gain weight, and toxins and their by-products will remain in your circulation.

Alcohol is broken down by the liver to acetaldehyde, a toxic compound that leaches vitamins B and C and causes the kidneys to excrete more fluid, along with zinc, magnesium and potassium. The classic hangover symptoms are caused by dehydration, but this can be fixed by drinking lots of water to re-hydrate. On a more sinister note, the free radicals formed by acetaldehyde will be attacking cells and causing them to degenerate.

A liver that has to deal with excess toxins, particularly alcohol, will begin to form fatty deposits inside its cells. Fatty liver is now recognized as the most common cause of abnormal liver function tests in the West, with around 20 per cent of the population suffering from it.

Long-term exposure to acetaldehyde causes scarring of the liver tissue leading to cirrhosis. There has been a sharp rise in liver cirrhosis deaths in the over the last 20 years, more than doubling for women and increasing by two-thirds for men.

However, if you stop the damage before it reaches the cirrhosis stage, the liver can break up its fatty tissues and regenerate itself remarkably well. Even if you just give up drinking for a week or a month, you give your liver a chance to catch up on the backlog; every drinker, no matter how moderate, should do a liver detox from time to time.