Summary: The real problem destroying the liver isn't what people automatically think (like alcohol or sugar). It's something we are exposed to every day. The solution lies in understanding this problem and supporting the liver's natural ability to process these toxins.
The Real Problem: It's Not Alcohol or Sugar
People automatically think, "Oh, it's too much alcohol or it's too much sugar or something like that."
Well, that doesn't even compare to what's really destroying the liver.
You're exposed to this every single day.
And there's really only one way to fix it.
The Core Problem: Toxins That Mimic Estrogen
This entire topic is based on one piece of information.
Pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, plastics, forever chemicals.
All of this toxicity mimics estrogen.
Mimics estrogen.
This is a cell. This hormone estrogen receptor is very very different than other hormone receptors.
All these other environmental toxins can fit into that estrogen receptor and activate the estrogen effect in certain parts of your body.
The Result: Global Estrogen Dominance
What's really happening on a global scale is we're creating estrogen dominance.
Let's take a look at what happens when that estrogen receptor gets too triggered:
1. In the Liver:
You're not going to produce as much bile.
And bile is like the key thing to help eliminate the toxins and the chemicals.
If you don't have enough bile, the chemicals get recycled.
This can lead to:
An inflamed liver.
Fatty liver.
Cirrhosis.
2. In Breast Tissue:
That has estrogen receptors, too.
We're dealing with the increased risk of breast cancer, not from actual estrogen, but from chemicals that can fit into the estrogen receptor.
3. In the Uterus:
There's estrogen receptors in the uterus.
It can also affect fertility and definitely it affects the menstrual cycle.
4. In the Thyroid:
You have receptors in your thyroid.
And this is a classic situation where you're developing hypothyroidism from the estrogen that goes into the thyroid.
5. Increased Fat & Breast Tissue in Men:
And by the way, too much estrogen = too much fat, especially around the hips and even increased breast tissue in men.
6. In the Skin:
Your skin has receptors for estrogen.
These toxins activate estrogen receptors which increase acne.
7. In the Testes:
There's receptors in the testes too.
So that's going to decrease testosterone.
It's going to decrease sperm count.
Key Note on Post-Menopausal Women:
When they talk about post-menopausal females that are estrogen dominant, do you really think that's coming from estrogen?
What happens is they're getting accumulation of this toxicity which is activating the estrogen receptors giving them the illusion that they have too much estrogen when in reality they have too many toxins.
What Are These Toxins Called?
The name of these toxins that act like estrogen in the environment they're called xenoestrogens.
If there's a spill of a certain chemical in a lake you get this feminization of fish (males turning to females).
And so these chemicals affect animals and humans.
Young girls are going through their puberty a lot earlier.
Young boys have lower testosterone and lower sperm count.
The Solution: How to Support the Liver
Luckily our liver is equipped with an entire detox machine to get rid of these chemicals, but only if it's not overloaded.
The only solution to this problem (in addition to, of course, avoiding these chemicals as much as you can, but you cannot 100% avoid these chemicals) is to support the liver's ability to detoxify.
The Mechanism:
You're turning fat-soluble chemicals, and that's what these are, into water-soluble chemicals.
The Dietary Solution: Cruciferous Vegetables
The solution is in a group of vegetables called cruciferous vegetables.
Cruciferous vegetables like kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, arugula, cauliflower all contain chemicals that can help detoxify these poisons that are mimicking estrogen.
The Supplement Alternative: DIM
For those people that don't like a lot of vegetables, you can get a concentrated version of the chemicals that are needed in something called DIM.
DIM is basically a concentrated cruciferous extract that can help regulate the excess of the harmful estrogen and convert that into something that's a lot less toxic.
And this is why a lot of people take DIM as a supplement.
But you don't need to even take that. You can eat the food that it comes from, which is cruciferous vegetables.
The Power of Sulforaphane:
Even one phytonutrient called sulforaphane in broccoli sprouts (it's in radishes) has the capacity to:
Increase over 200 detox genes.
And also feed the gut bacteria that can help you detoxify these chemicals too.
Additional Benefits of Cruciferous Vegetables:
1. Increasing Protective Protein:
In the liver, there's a certain protein and it's called sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG).
We want more of that to safeguard and protect you against the excess of estrogen in the body, especially to prevent cancer.
It just so happens that cruciferous vegetables have certain things in them to help increase that.
2. Protecting Testosterone:
The phytonutrients, including DIM, have the ability to reduce certain enzymes to decrease the conversion of testosterone into estrogen.
Conclusion: Why Cruciferous Veggies Are Key:
But unfortunately, our bodies never evolved to deal with these environmental estrogen toxins.
But our liver was designed to deal with plant estrogens, which can actually help us, and they're in the cruciferous vegetables.
They're not going to actually increase the estrogen in your body.
What they're going to do is help dismantle the chemicals that are mimicking the estrogen.
Your Actionable Options:
Option 1: Consuming more cruciferous vegetables in your diet.
Option 2: You can take DIM as a supplement.
Additional Supporting Liver Supplements:
A supplement called NAC, which is really good for the liver and also the brain.
Choline is another one that will also help you get rid of fat off the liver.
Summary
The reason why this is so important is:
To give you the awareness of something unfortunately that it's almost impossible to avoid (which is the problem).
Yet at the same time, I gave you a solution just within your diet.
It doesn't have to be every day, a few times a week.
So at the very least, you can reduce the load of estrogenic things that are hitting your liver on a daily basis.
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