By Fleur Borrelli, nutritionist at The Putney Clinic of Physical Therapy It is a relatively unknown fact that our body produces its own toxins as part of our normal metabolism. Our intestinal bacteria may also release by-products from metabolism that can be damaging to our health. This is before we even consider the toxins that come in from the environment. Fortunately we have evolved a complex network of systems to get rid of toxins that have been created internally. The antioxidant system cleverly destroys free radicals during chemical reactions in our cells before they can damage the cell itself. The liver, amongst its multitude of tasks, will take a toxic molecule which is generally fat soluble and transforms it into a water soluble molecule to be excreted out of the body in urine via the kidneys. Even fat soluble molecules can be shifted into bile which is then squirted into the intestine and ejected from the body in faeces. Sweating can lose any heavy metals lurking
