Toxins – Where Do They Come From?
By-products of cellular metabolism in the body
1. AGEs (Advanced Glycation End-products)
AGEs are the end products of haphazard glycation reactions implicated in many chronic aging diseases. In glycation, a sugar molecule bonds to either a protein or lipid molecule without an enzyme to control the reaction, where they interfere with molecular and cellular functioning throughout the body. The skyrocketing sugar consumption in recent decades has significantly increased AGE formation and fructose and galactose apparently have 10-fold the glycation activity of glucose, the body’s primary fuel.
McPherson JD, Shilton BH, Walton DJ (March 1988). “Role of fructose in glycation and cross-linking of proteins”. Biochemistry 27 (6): 1901–7. doi:10.1021/bi00406a016. PMID3132203. Lipid peroxidation debris – from reactive species (E.g. free radicals) oxidizing fats in the body
2. Stress
Has poisoning effect similar to toxins and is a major contributor to free radical production in the body. Think about this when you are allowing a domineering boss, financial worries, looming deadlines, marital problems, testy children and past or present emotional issues to “get to you”.
Toxins enter the body from various sources (accumulating in cells with age).
From eating contaminated foods – eating foods containing dyes, preservatives, herbicides, pesticides, excessive heavy metals; drinking “chemical cocktail” soft drinks; drinking/cooking in “treated” (chlorinated/fluoridated) water.
Examples of harmful ingredients include:
- Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal, Sugar Twin)
- Sucralose (Splenda)
- Chlorine
- Fluoride
- GMOs
- MSG
- Endocrine Disruptors
Toxins from Direct Contact
Chemicals can enter through the skin or seep through the sensitive membranes in the mouth. Chemical sources include:
- Cleaners – e.g. laundry soap residue in clothes, sheets/linen
- Personal care ote,s – e.g. bars of soap, shaving cream, liquid bath washes (liquid shower soaps), hand lotion, toothpaste, deodorant, cosmetics, facial creams, hair spray, cologne, perfume, shampoo and hair conditioners (your pores are nicely opened by hot water)
- Bathing in chlorinated / chemically treated water.
By breathing Contaminated Air – from, such as:
- Chemical air fresheners / deodorisers
- Combustion engine fumes – e.g. car exhaust fumes
- Industrial smoke stacks and refineries
- Petrochemical paints and solvents
- Tobacco smoke
- Poisonous mercury vapours – released from stimulated mercury amalgams as we eat and drink
Fats processed at high temperatures:
- Deep-fried foods
- Typical “grocery store” oils – i.e. not cold-pressed – which contain transfats, additives and preservatives
Recreational Drugs and Excessive Pharmaceuticals:
- Alcohol
- Nicotine
- Cocaine
- Antibiotics – promote an excess of “bad” intestinal bacteria.
- We have an illogical approach of trying to ‘cure’ a toxic overload by ingesting more toxic chemicals in the form of pharmaceuticals – e.g. aspirin, antihistamines, countless drugs and OTC home remedies.
Other Factors
- AGEs – in addition to endogenous production, pro-inflammatory AGEs (see above) are also produced outside the body.
- AGEs are formed when sugars are cooked with proteins or fats without water – e.g. donuts, barbecued meats, cake and dark coloured fizzy drinks, caramelised/browned foods
- Eating micro-waved foods – introduces ‘not-so-convenient’ damaging free radicals into our bodies
- Toxic compounds cause damage in several critical areas – disrupt the cell ‘battery’ level, by structural damage to mitochondrial membranse. Use up oxygen when removing toxins from the body – thus disturbing oxygen-dependent energy production and making conditions more microbe-friendly
- Heart muscle cells and neurons – in such cells, the accumulation of cellular garbage may be a very significant factor in cellular aging and death
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We are obliged to notify you that the information on this website is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Doctors Across Borders NPO t/as Doctors Beyond Medicine, the author(s) nor publisher(s) take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.
