What are Toxins?
In order to lose weight, there are certain primary factors that we all must manage.These include lowering our caloric intake; increasing our metabolism; and eating the proper balance of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and of course, fiber.
But just as these factors demand our attention, other factors also must be taken into account. Chief among them are the chemical toxins that infiltrate our daily lives and often have a profound effect on our health and our capacity to stay fit. They can limit our ability to burn fat; slow down the body’s metabolic rate; and decrease feelings of fullness, all of which leads to increased caloric consumption.
Today the word toxin is used to describe anything that is foreign or poisonous to the body. Two main classes of toxins include environmental—such as household chemicals, industrial pollutants, food additives, and pesticides—and internal. Internal toxins consist of waste products created by normal metabolic processes within the body. Such digestive toxins are produced as a result of breaking down proteins, starches and fats.Environmental ToxinsEnvironmental toxins have been present since the industrial revolution. Over the last 100 years, we have introduced at least 75,000 new chemicals into our environment,1 and the majority of these chemicals have no scientific evidence to prove that they are safe for human consumption or exposure. In fact, most of them are known to be unsafe for humans at some level.
Among the most studied types of environmental toxins are organochlorines (OCs), widely used industrial toxins found in insecticides, plastics, and industrial oils that can be stored in fat cells for extended periods of time. One of the best-known OCs is DDT, which has been banned in the United States due to its toxicity but still remains in our environment.
Recent studies have shown that although many people believe they live an uncontaminated lifestyle, their bodies contain an alarming amount of toxins due to industrial compounds, pollutants and other toxic chemicals. Many of these toxins can cause cancer; damage the brain and nervous system; and cause birth defects or abnormal development.
Internal ToxinsEveryday physiological processes such as energy production, digestion and hormone synthesis create waste products that, if not discarded, interfere with the function of our internal organs. These waste products are examples of internal toxins. Although the human body excretes the majority of these toxins through urination and fecal elimination, we also expel them when we breathe, sweat, cut our hair and trim our nails.
Most internal toxins are byproducts of the air we breathe and the food we eat. However, the intestinal tract is full of bacteria and yeast that also produce waste. Often called gut flora or intestinal microbes, these bacteria and yeast are highly beneficial. They assist in the digestion of some vitamins and play a significant roll in the body’s immune response.
Such good bacteria are often called probiotics (meaning “for life”) because of the role they play in keeping us healthy. They include Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacteria bifidum, both of which produce substances like acetic acid to help destroy harmful bacteria.
Examples of such harmful bacteria include salmonella and Candida albicans, a yeast that can cause an infection when it grows out of control. These detrimental flora constantly absorb nutrients and create waste in the form of internally produced toxins such as indol, skatol and methane.2 Long-term production of these internal toxins can lead to a weakened immune system, inflammation, and a slower metabolic rate.
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