Natural cleansing
NOWADAYS, people are constantly exposed to a multitude of toxic chemicals in the polluted environment. The increase in environmental toxicity, coupled with modern lifestyle habits such as unhealthy dietary choices, smoking and alcohol consumption, cause an inevitable buildup of toxins in the body.
This accumulation of toxins puts an extra workload on the body’s detoxification system, especially the liver. When the liver is overworked, it cannot process toxins efficiently.
Over time, this will lead to a host of symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, skin problems, bad breath, muscle aches and respiratory problems.
Normal detoxification process
The liver eliminates toxins through a twostep enzymatic process – the phase-I and phase-II detoxification pathways.
The phase-I detoxification converts toxic chemicals into less harmful chemicals, while the phase-II detoxification converts the intermediates from phase-I into water-soluble substances so they can be easily excreted.
The phase-II enzymes need to function at a rapid rate to neutralise the phase-I intermediates as they are being produced.
However, most people experience detoxification-related problems as they have a rapid phase-I detoxification process but a depressed phase-II detoxification function.
When this happens, it causes a more chronic toxic overload and damage within the cells.
Broccoli and detoxification
Both phase-I and phase-II detoxification require a healthy supply of enzymes to function properly. Certain food contains specific nutrients that can enhance the activities of these enzymes. Broccoli contains glucoraphanin and sulforaphane, which support the detoxification pathways.
Broccoli sprouts have 10 to 100 times more sulforaphane than mature broccoli. They modulate the activity of enzymes in the liver, enhancing natural detoxification pathways.
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