healthy self
DR. LAUREN GOUIN, N.D.
What Does Your Liver Have To Do With Your Weight?
doing everything right but not seeing the results. The days of approaching weight loss as simply ‘calories in, calories out’ are now long behind us, as researchers and clinicians continue to find new correlations and con- nections to body composition and biochem- istry. With these new relationships and a deeper understanding of the body, clinicians have a better understanding of weight loss resistance, including the dreaded ‘plateaus’. As it turns out, the body’s ability to detoxify plays a major role.
W Losing More than Fat
When a body is exposed to chemicals, exogenous sources of hormones or any other foreign substance, it has two options: de- toxify it and clear it from the body, or stow it away in the least harmful places in the body. Because many chemicals are fat soluble, researchers have found the body often stores excess chemicals in our body fat. Samples in one study revealed more than 210 chemicals stored in human fat. The study also found:
• 76 chemicals linked to cancer in humans or animals
• 94 chemicals that are toxic to the brain and nervous system
• 86 chemicals that interfere with the hormone system
• 79 chemicals associated with birth defects or abnormal development
• 77 chemicals toxic to the reproductive system, and • 77 chemicals toxic to the immune system.
Weight loss becomes a much bigger
endeavor when one not only has to increase activity and decrease caloric intake, but also clear the substances stored away in body fat. In a more positive vein, weight loss can have a profound impact on our health, by reduc- ing buildup of toxic substances in our fat tissue. Weight loss and more importantly fat loss result in toxin removal, and a reduction in our total toxic burden.
NaturalNutmeg.com 35
eight loss can be a frustrating and arduous task for many people, es- pecially when it seems like you’re
The Liver’s Role The body does have the ability to re-
move toxins, using a series of pathways and enzymes to package up unwanted chemicals and pass them into the colon and bladder for waste removal. The liver is the body’s packaging center and it requires numerous nutrients including many vitamins, miner- als, proteins and amino acids as well as an adequate intake of calories. With proper amounts of these tools, the liver is able to not only process the daily burden of chemi- cal exposure, but also remove excess toxins that are liberated with fat loss.
Detox as Supportive Weight Loss
Damage to the liver has long been med- ically tied with obesity, and weight loss has been shown to improve stress on the liver and overall liver function. Now we know that the reverse is true as well: liver support can help with weight loss. If the body is able to process and clear excess chemicals, it is more capable of liberating more fat and toxins for clearance. This means detoxifica- tion can be an excellent tool for weight loss, especially weight loss that is resistant to ba- sic dietary changes and increased exercise. nutrient deficiencies and other underlying weakness in the liver’s ability to detoxify may need to be addressed to ensure that the toxin-packaging center is working properly.
detoxification from this perspective has nothing to do with harsh laxatives, fasts or even calorie restriction. Frequently, remov- ing inflammatory foods, nourishing the body with proper nutrients and giving the liver support with either botanicals or foods will not only improve liver function but also kick- start weight loss. Healthy weight has a myriad of health benefits associated with it, from cardiovascu- lar to immune function. Some of these ben- efits might be due to a secondary association with a healthy liver. We know that not all livers are created equal, and while some people may not require much liver support, others may need more. Individual assess- ment of nutritional needs and deficiencies as well as liver function tests can be done with routine blood work. Healthy diet and exercise are certainly a great start for weight loss, but looking at the liver may enhance efforts or minimize weight loss plateaus.
Dr. Lauren Gouin is a board certified natur- opathic physician with a family practice at 135 Center St, Manchester. She is currently accepting new patients and is in-network with most insurance companies. To make an ap- pointment, call (860) 533-0179 or visit www.
ctnaturalhealth.com. See ad on page 24.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52