from Chris Masterjohn, Ph.D.:
Please join me in a global campaign to correct the misunderstanding that the liver “filters” toxins.
Filters remove undesirable things from air, water, oil, or other desirable materials. They do so by holding on to them. As a result, they get dirty and eventually need to be replaced.
Many people believe that this is what the liver does.
When you mention eating liver, they say, “I'm not going to eat something that filters toxins,” as if all those toxins are actually in the liver.
But this is not what the liver does. Not at all.
I do not believe people need a background in physiology to understand what the liver does correctly. Therefore, I propose that we all join forces to correct anyone who ever says or implies that “the liver is a filter.” To do so, I recommend these three corrections, each appropriate to a different level of scientific understanding:
Level 1. “The liver does not filter toxins from the blood. The liver helps pump them into your poo and your pee so that they leave your body.”
Level 2. “The liver does not filter toxins. Instead, the liver modifies them to make them less toxic and to make them easier to excrete. This leads to their elimination in the feces and urine, not their retention in the liver.”
Level 3. “The liver does not filter toxins. Hepatic detoxification takes place in three phases. Phase 1 oxidizes the molecule. This serves to prepare it for phase 2. Phase 2 conjugates the molecule to one of several chemical groups. This serves two purposes: one is to make the toxin less metabolically active; the other is to make it more water-soluble. Phase 3 exports the conjugate into the bile, which brings it into the intestines. From there, it either leaves in the feces, or is reabsorbed into the bloodstream and exits the body through the urine.
Everyone can understand at least one of these!
