The liver is the organ most responsible for treating toxins in our body. Its health is essential to proper functioning of all other bodily systems. Because the liver's job is to clean our body of toxins, some hormonal imbalances or lifestyle choices--such as frequent alcohol or drug use--can lead to toxins being stored too long in the liver. Liver failure results eventually in complete breakdown of other body systems. A number of dietary products claim to detoxify the liver, but there is currently no research confirmation that any particular vitamins have proven results.
Is Your Liver "Sluggish"?
Blood tests to detect liver damage are routinely performed in some clinics. Liver function monitoring is required when a patient is taking certain prescription medications, because the risk for damage is high from some drugs.
Prior to blood testing for actual liver damage, there are signs of slowed-down liver function that might be observed by the patient or a physician.
Such signs may include unusual skin tone, undereye circles, yellow skin, tongue, or eyes, frequent headache, fatigue, abdominal discomfort and rib cage pain, and more frequent post-meal indigestion.
How Professionals View Detoxification
On WholeHealthMD.com, detoxification is described as enticing, with its claims to cleanse the entire body of harmful toxins, yet not entirely substantiated by research. They cite "a handful of reports" that support detoxification using methods such as fasting, dietary changes, and sauna. For the most part, naturopathic physicians will recommend detoxification techniques more than traditionally trained Western medicine physicians.
Helpful Vitamin Components
Because research is still lacking to firmly indicate which vitamins are most beneficial for detoxing the liver, the exact recommendations will vary with the prescribing practitioner.
On Alive.com, Peter Bennett, N.D. describes a seven-day detox plan that specifies no vitamins other than Vitamin C should be taken during the first two days of fasting. Following that time period, Bennett's plan recommends not only Vitamin C, but "good-quality" multivitamins that contain minerals. On the same site, Karen Jensen, N.D. refers to antioxidants like Vitamin E, zinc and selenium as "essential" to protect the liver.
Folate deficiency is seen in patients with liver disease, and it's believed that increasing intake of this B Vitamin, whether through diet or folic acid supplements, may be beneficial. However, the National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements says that even water-soluble folate can work against some people if taken in extreme amounts. This is true particularly for people in their 50s or older.
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