Did you know there are foods that can help promote liver regeneration? Did you also know the liver is the only organ in the body which can regenerate? It’s true. You may have heard that a starfish can grow back a missing limb, and lizards can grow back their tails; similarly, if a part of the liver is damaged it can partake in liver regeneration.
In a study published in The Journal of Biological Chemistry researchers uncovered that liver regeneration functions much simpler than once believed. In the past it was shown that cells which are part of regeneration act as they would if they were in an embryo. In the fairly recent study scientists uncovered specific proteins that induce regeneration. They felt that by being able to stimulate such proteins they would be able to better help those with severe liver damage or those who have had portions of their liver removed.
After extensive testing, the scientists uncovered that previous theories of cells acting as they would in embryos was actually not true, but rather liver regeneration occurs due to an increase in cells which multiply through regular cell division. Therefore, researchers believe stimulating liver regeneration is possible by activating identified proteins.
Foods useful for liver regeneration process
Although the liver is able to regenerate itself, it’s important you keep it healthy and eat foods which can further help promote liver regeneration. The following foods can help boost liver health as well as function.
Garlic: Garlic has been shown to help reduce bad cholesterol which is associated with poor liver health; eating garlic regularly can help promote good liver health. Enzymes in garlic also help the liver remove toxins, contributing to a healthier body overall.
Grapefruit: Grapefruit is packed with powerful antioxidants and fiber. Grapefruit can contribute to good cholesterol and boost the liver-cleansing process. One word of caution is that grapefruit can negatively interact with medications, so speak to a doctor before incorporating grapefruit into your diet.
Leafy green vegetables: Spinach, broccoli and kale are just some examples of leafy green vegetables. Leafy green vegetables all work to assist your liver in the cleansing process and help improve its function. Furthermore, they provide the body with chlorophyll which protects the body from toxins.
Avocados: Avocados pack nearly 20 essential nutrients and vitamins; not only are they good for your body, but they feed your liver all the right stuff. Avocados can help neutralize free radicals as well as promote the production of glutathione which helps with toxin removal.
Apples: We know apples are good for overall health; you should continue with your apple-a-day trend as they can help promote liver cleansing and remove toxins in the digestive tract.
Brussels sprouts: Brussels sprouts are similar to garlic because they also contain sulfur, so that alone is enough to promote a healthier liver. Furthermore, Brussels sprouts contain antioxidants which fight free radical damage. For maximum benefits cook Brussels sprouts with garlic for an optimal liver-cleaning meal.
Other foods for liver regeneration
Aside from the above mentioned foods, there are others which can keep the liver healthy, promote liver cleansing and ensure you stay the healthiest you can be. The next time you opt for a meal or a snack make sure you also add these foods into your diet for a healthy liver.
Bitter gourd
Probiotic yogurt
Onions
Lemon
Berries
Arugula
Artichokes
Leeks
How proteins may help in liver regeneration
Similar to the previous research mentioned, scientist at UC Davis further explored the use of proteins in liver regeneration. The identified protein is called PPARα and in mice models they found it to work quite quickly in liver regenerations.
What the researchers did uncover, though, is to boost PPARα in humans for quicker liver regeneration we require protein fibroblast factor 21 (FGF21). Author of the paper Yu-Jui Yvonne Wan said, “We found that FGF21 is a good rescuing molecule that facilitates liver regeneration and perhaps tissue repair. Our data suggests that FGF21 could help with liver regeneration, either after removal or after damage caused by alcohol or a virus.”
Through testing the researchers found that PPARα was more effective in liver regeneration in mice livers than in human ones. What they did find was that by adding FGF21, liver regeneration was boosted by making PPARα more effective. FGF21 is also beneficial in reducing insulin resistance, accelerating fat metabolism and reducing fatty liver disease in some animals.
Wan added, “We found that FGF21 is a good rescuing molecule that facilitates liver regeneration and perhaps tissue repair. Our data suggests that FGF21 could help with liver regeneration, either after removal or after damage caused by alcohol or a virus.”
Cell fundamental for liver regeneration found
Although it has been established that proteins work to promote liver regeneration, as of late more findings suggest a cell, too, is fundamental for liver regeneration.
Published in the journal Cell researchers uncovered cells called hybrid hepatocytes which are able to generate new tissues. By exposing mice to toxins researchers observed the role of hybrid hepatocytes. What they found was cancer did not develop in the new cells which were created by the hybrid hepatocytes. This prompted the researchers to further explore opportunities of hybrid hepatocytes.
Until science is capable of fully regenerating livers it’s important to maintain the health of yours as best as you can. Waiting lists for liver transplants are extremely long, so in order to keep your name off the list, enjoy the foods listed above which can promote a healthy liver and a healthy you.
While many continue to believe it's relatively benign, the latest studies are truly frightening - which is a serious concern when you consider lab tests have detected it in urine and breastmilk. Please don't ignore, test your personal levels today. Poisoned Field: Glyphosate, the Underrated Risk?
December 24, 2016
Story at-a-glance
The documentary “Poisoned Fields: Glyphosate, the Underrated Risk?” chronicles the risks of glyphosate to human health and the environment
Researchers found severely restricted, damaged root growth among plants growing in fields treated with glyphosate for more than a decade
Farmers also noted correlations between glyphosate in animal feed and rates of miscarriage, deformities in piglets and infertility among farm animals
By Dr. Mercola
Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup, is an herbicide like no other, as more tons of it have been sprayed worldwide than any other herbicide before it.
Writing in Environmental Sciences Europe, scientists noted that in the U.S. and likely globally, "no pesticide has come remotely close to such intensive and widespread use."1
"Glyphosate will likely remain the most widely applied pesticide worldwide for years to come," they continued earlier this year, which is alarming as its environmental and public health risks become increasingly apparent.
Glyphosate is used in large quantities on genetically engineered (GE) glyphosate-tolerant crops (i.e., Roundup Ready varieties). Its use actually increased nearly 15-fold since such GE crops were introduced in 1996.2 Glyphosate is also a popular tool for desiccating (or accelerating the drying out) of crops like wheat and oats.
Unbeknownst to many, glyphosate is sprayed onto many crops shortly before harvest, which is why residues have been found in GE and non-GE foods alike. In the documentary above, "Poisoned Fields: Glyphosate, the Underrated Risk?" you can hear why this is so concerning.
While many farmers continue to believe the chemical is relatively benign and using it is safe for their crops and the environment, both the crop fields and the public are being poisoned as a result.
Glyphosate Damages Plant Root Systems, Soil
After farm fields are treated with glyphosate for years, you can see the physical damage that glyphosate causes. After two years, the fields are still green but after 11 years, the video shows drone footage of brown, burned out fields that the farmers reported as mysterious damage.
The fine roots of plants are responsible for taking in nutrients from the soil, but if they're damaged the plant cannot do so efficiently. Not surprisingly, researchers found severely restricted root growth, with far fewer fine roots, among plants growing in the fields treated with glyphosate for more than a decade.
Gunter Neumann, Ph.D., nutritional crop physiologist with the University of Hohenheim in Germany, explained:
"We conducted a state-financed residue analysis for glyphosate and other pesticides. For glyphosate, the data consistently showed that the levels of residue that were present [six] months after the application were as high as one would expect directly after the spring.
Two meters [6.56 feet] over, where the fields were treated for a shorter time, all levels were below the detection limits."
The damage happened slowly, and as such wouldn't have been noticed if the glyphosate-treated fields weren't in such close proximity. Farmers increased fertilizer applications on the damaged fields in the hopes of saving the crops, but it didn't help.
One farmer, who was forced to speak anonymously for fear of retaliation for speaking negatively about glyphosate, found plant viruses increased when he sprayed the chemical.
"On some fields it caused a total yield loss," he said. This was only observed in the areas treated with glyphosate for long periods (longer than two or three years). Neumann noted that advances in molecular biological methods have allowed researchers to detect other types of damage on the crops, including:
Hormonal disturbances
Negative effects on physiological processes, including a downregulated stress response
Genes involved in water intake became less active
Glyphosate is said to work by inhibiting only a single enzyme to kill unwanted plants, but Neumann proved that glyphosate also changes plant genes involved in root growth, water intake and stress resistance.
Glyphosate in Feed Sickens Farm Animals
The documentary also highlights the harm glyphosate exerts on farm animals consuming glyphosate-treated feed. One German pig farmer noticed pigs giving birth to fewer piglets and an increase in stillborn and deformed piglets, which he said increase with the level of glyphosate in the feed.
With glyphosate at levels of 1.30 parts per million (ppm) in the feed, 1 out of 529 piglets were born deformed. At 2.26 ppm, 1 out of 240 piglets were born deformed, a linear increase. Higher doses of glyphosate in the feed were clearly associated with a higher number of deformities in the piglets.
When he switched to glyphosate-free feed, the problems declined. To be sure this wasn't a coincidence, he then switched the pigs back to the glyphosate-treated feed. He noticed the pigs seemed to eat less of the feed and had more diarrhea, which required him to use more antibiotics.
This is a side effect known before, as glyphosate may disrupt the balance of gut microbes in mammals (including humans). Anthony Samsel, Ph.D., research scientist and environmental consultant, and Stephanie Seneff, Ph.D., a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), explained:
"One likely effect of chronic low-dose oral exposure to glyphosate is a disruption of the balance among gut microbes towards an over-representation of pathogens. This leads to a chronic inflammatory state in the gut, as well as an impaired gut barrier and many other sequelae."
Does Glyphosate Cause Fertility Problems?
The documentary also includes a family dairy farmer in Germany who noticed his cows developed fertility problems after he began supplementing their diets with a concentrated feed that contained glyphosate residues.
It was impossible to purchase a concentrated feed that did not contain residues, and no manufacturer would guarantee the feed would be glyphosate-free.
He then switched to a locally produced feed and experienced dramatic results. Reproduction rates doubled from 30 percent to 60 percent when glyphosate was no longer part of the feed. Disturbingly, it's also been found that glyphosate may affect fertility in humans.
In 2014, a report from the Institute of Science in Society (ISIS) highlighted what appears to be the perfect storm for an "infertility time-bomb," courtesy of glyphosate.3Average sperm counts have dropped by nearly half in the last 50 years, even among men without fertility problems.
Further, ISIS noted, 20 percent of young European men have sperm counts below the World Health Organization (WHO) reference level of 20 m/ml, and 40 percent have levels below 40 m/ml, which is associated with prolonging the time to pregnancy. Meanwhile, rates of conditions that impact semen quality and fertility are also on the rise.
There are, of course, many potential explanations for these conditions, but, as ISIS noted, it has been proposed that an environmental toxicant, especially an endocrine-disrupting chemical such as glyphosate, may be involved.
In December 2013, meanwhile, a study revealed that Roundup exposure induced cell death in Sertoli cells in prepubertal rat testis.4 Sertoli cells are required for male sexual development, including maintaining the health of sperm cells. The exposure was a low dose (36 ppm), which is well within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) food safety levels.
Glyphosate Led to Tumors in Rats
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has determined glyphosate is a probable human carcinogen. Previous research on animals, including rats, has led to similar findings.
In 2012, the first-ever lifetime feeding study evaluating the health risks of glyphosate and GE foods found that rats fed a type of GE corn that is prevalent in the U.S. food supply for two years developed massive mammary tumors, kidney and liver damage, and other serious health problems. According to the authors:5
"The health effects of a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize (from 11 [percent] in the diet), cultivated with or without Roundup, and Roundup alone (from 0.1ppb in water), were studied [two] years in rats. In females, all treated groups died [two to three] times more than controls, and more rapidly. This difference was visible in [three] male groups fed GMOs. All results were hormone- and sex-dependent, and the pathological profiles were comparable.
Females developed large mammary tumors almost always more often than and before controls, the pituitary was the second most disabled organ; the sex hormonal balance was modified by GMO and Roundup treatments.
In treated males, liver congestions and necrosis were 2.5 [to] 5.5 times higher ... Marked and severe kidney nephropathies were also generally 1.3 [to] 2.3 greater. Males presented [four] times more large palpable tumors than controls, which occurred up to 600 days earlier."
The findings were a nail in the coffin for the pesticide/biotech industry, but then the journal began to receive Letters to the Editor alleging fraud and calling upon the editors to retract the paper.
After what the journal described as a "thorough and time-consuming analysis" of the study, they said they found "no evidence of fraud or intentional misrepresentation of the data." All they could find "wrong" with the research was that it used a low number of animals, but they, quite outrageously, retracted this important paper nonetheless. Even the retraction statement admits that the results presented are "not incorrect" but rather may be "inconclusive."
How Glyphosate Is Destroying the Soil
Numerous studies have also shown that glyphosate is contributing not only to the huge increase in Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS), a serious plant disease, but also to an outbreak of some 40 different plant and crop diseases. It weakens plants, destroys soil and promotes disease in a number of ways, including:
Acting as a chelator of vital nutrients, depriving plants of the nutrients necessary for healthy plant function
Destroying beneficial soil organisms that suppress disease-causing organisms and help plants absorb nutrients
Interfering with photosynthesis, reducing water use efficiency, shortening root systems and causing plants to release sugars, which changes soil pH
Stunting and weakening plant growth
The herbicide doesn't destroy plants directly; instead, it creates a unique "perfect storm" of conditions that activates disease-causing organisms in the soil, while at the same time wiping out plant defenses against those diseases.
Glyphosate Detected in Urine and Breastmilk
Laboratory testing commissioned by the organizations Moms Across America and Sustainable Pulse revealed that glyphosate is now showing up virtually everywhere.
The analysis revealed glyphosate in levels of 76 μg/L to 166 μg/L in women's breast milk. As reported by The Detox Project, this is 760 to 1,600 times higher than the EU-permitted level in drinking water (although it's lower than the U.S. maximum contaminant level for glyphosate, which is 700 μg/L.).6
This dose of glyphosate in breastfed babies' every meal is only the beginning. An in vitro study designed to simulate human exposures also found that glyphosate crosses the placental barrier. In the study, 15 percent of the administered glyphosate reached the fetal compartment.7
The documentary also features the director and founder of Moms Across America, who states they found glyphosate in her son's urine around the same time as the onset of symptoms of autism.
Seneff has also pointed out correlations between increased glyphosate use over recent years and skyrocketing autism rates.She identified two key problems in autism that are unrelated to the brain yet clearly associated with the condition — both of which are linked with glyphosate exposure:
Gut dysbiosis (imbalances in gut bacteria, inflammation, leaky gut and food allergies such as gluten intolerance)
Disrupted sulfur metabolism / sulfur and sulfate deficiency
Interestingly, certain microbes in your body actually break down glyphosate, which is a good thing. However, a byproduct of this action is ammonia, and children with autism tend to have significantly higher levels of ammonia in their blood than the general population.
Glyphosate Far More Restricted in Europe Than in the US
European Commission leaders met in March 2016 to vote on whether to renew a 15-year license for glyphosate, which was set to expire in June. The decision was tabled amid mounting opposition, as more than 180,000 Europeans signed a petition calling for glyphosate to be banned outright. Ultimately, more than 2 million signatures were collected against relicensing the chemical.
In June, however, the European Commission granted an 18-month extension to glyphosate while they continue the review. A ruling is expected by the end of 2017. In the meantime, new restrictions were announced in the interim, including a ban on a co-formulant (tallowamine), increased scrutiny of pre-harvest uses of glyphosate and efforts to minimize its use in public parks and playgrounds.
Unlike in the U.S., where glyphosate use is largely unrestricted, "seven EU states have extensive glyphosate prohibitions in place, two have restrictions and four countries have impending or potential bans," The Guardian reported.8
Test Your Personal Glyphosate Levels
If you'd like to know your personal glyphosate levels, you can now find out, while also participating in a worldwide study on environmental glyphosate exposures. The Health Research Institute (HRI) in Iowa developed the glyphosate urine test kit, which will allow you to determine your own exposure to this toxic herbicide.
Ordering this kit automatically allows you to participate in the study and help HRI better understand the extent of glyphosate exposure and contamination. In a few weeks, you will receive your results, along with information on how your results compare with others and what to do to help reduce your exposure. We are providing these kits to you at no profit in order for you to participate in this environmental study.
In the meantime, eating organic as much as possible and investing in a good water filtration system for your home are among the best ways to lower your exposure to glyphosate and other pesticides. In the case of glyphosate, it's also wise to avoid desiccated crops like wheat and oats.
Brussels sprouts help activate cancer-fighting enzyme systems in your body
Brussels sprouts help support both Phase 1 and Phase 2 detoxification
Eating more Brussels sprouts may support your heart health and lower your risk of cancer and chronic inflammation
Brussels sprouts still attached to the stalk may be fresher and often cost less
By Dr. Mercola
Brussels sprouts have been voted as the most-hated vegetable in both the US and Britain,1 perhaps because they can be notoriously smelly. But the offensive odor only occurs when these nutritional powerhouses are overcooked – something you definitely want to avoid to preserve both their flavor and nutrients.
Further, that odor comes from a type of glucosinolate, a sulfur-containing compound that is responsible for some pretty impressive health benefits, including fighting cancer. So the next time you’re thinking of turning your nose up at these much-maligned veggies, you might want to give them a chance instead.
Low in Calories and Packed with Nutrition
Brussels sprouts are an ideal food if you’re looking for something that’s hearty yet low in calories. One cup of cooked Brussels sprouts contains just 56 calories but is packed with more than 240 percent of the recommended daily amount (RDA) for vitamin K1, and nearly 130 percent of the RDA for vitamin C.
Plus, Brussels sprouts are a good source of fiber, manganese, potassium, choline, and B vitamins. They even contain protein. But not only do Brussels sprouts contain well-known antioxidants like vitamin C…
They also contain others that are much less known – but equally as important, like kaempferol, isorhamnetin, caffeic, and ferulic acids, and the relatively rare sulfur-containing compound called D3T (3H-1,2-dithiole-3-thione).
This means that when you eat Brussels sprouts, you’re helping your body to ward off chronic oxidative stress, which is a risk factor for many types of cancer and other chronic diseases.
You can steam Brussels sprouts and toss them with olive oil, Parmesan cheese, or butter. You can roast them and quarter them, then toss them like a salad with onions, feta cheese, and balsamic vinegar. You can even keep a bowl in the fridge, seasoned with salt and pepper, to snack on throughout the day – their small bite-sized package makes them perfect for popping in your mouth.
Remember, if your Brussels sprouts become overly “smelly,” mushy, or turn a muted green, they’re probably overcooked. Ideally, they should be bright green with a slightly crisp texture and pleasant, nutty/sweet flavor, even after they’re cooked.
Trying to Detoxify? Eat More Brussels Sprouts
Juice cleanses and store-bought detoxes are popular now, but detoxification is really a process your body needs to be doing on a daily basis. And it can only do this if you provide it with the proper foods, Brussels sprouts (or other cruciferous veggies) being one of them.
Here again, those potentially offensive sulfur-containing compounds prove to be invaluable, as they help to activate enzyme systems in your cells that are required for detoxification of cancer-causing substances.
These sulfur compounds also support your body’s Phase 2 detoxification process, which broken down toxins are shuttled out of your system. Even better, they’re also a rich source of antioxidants, which are necessary for Phase 1 detoxification, which is when toxins are broken down into smaller particles (that are later eliminated during phase 2).
Foods that support both Phase 1 and Phase 2 detoxification are key to supporting your body’s daily removal of harmful substances from your body. For example, if you eat foods that support Phase 1, but not Phase 2, the broken-down toxins may begin to accumulate in your body.
Eating foods like Brussels sprouts helps to ensure that not only are toxins being broken down, they’re also being safely removed from your body.
Brussels Sprouts May Work Better Than Broccoli to Help Lower Your Risk of Cancer
Cancer is a leading cause of death in the US, and eating Brussels sprouts is a simple way to lower your risk of this disease. Your body uses the glucosinolates in Brussels sprouts to make isothiocyanates, which activate cancer-fighting enzyme systems in your body. As reported in the journal Carcinogenesis:2
“Glucosinolates are sulfur-containing glycosides found in the Brassicavegetables. Their breakdown products include isothiocyanates, which are produced following exposure to the endogenous plant enzyme myrosinase. Isothiocyanates are pungent, biologically active compounds that suppress carcinogenesis in vivo, and induce apoptosis in vitro.”
Indole-3-carbinol, for example, is one glucosinolate breakdown product that halts the cell cycle in breast cancer cells without actually killing the cells.3 The cell cycle is a rigidly controlled series of steps a cell must go through before it can divide in two, involving the duplication of the cell's contents and a final split.
If you can alter specific components of the cell cycle, you can stop the growth of cancer cells without killing normal cells. Indole-3-carbinol interferes with the cell cycle in a way that turns off a gene for an enzyme important in the cell's growth cycle.
Brussels sprouts have been linked to the prevention of a number of cancers, including colon cancer,4 ovarian cancer,5 and others. One study even found that compounds in Brussels sprouts may trigger pre-cancerous cells to commit suicide, which suggests adding more of this superfood to your diet could be a powerful anti-cancer strategy.6
In fact, in one study men who ate about 1.5 cups of Brussels sprouts daily for five weeks had a 28 percent decrease in DNA damage, which the researchers concluded showed “that consumption of cruciferous vegetables [Brussels sprouts] may result in a decreased cancer risk.”7
While all of the cruciferous veggies are known for their cancer-fighting powers, Brussels sprouts have been shown to contain even greater amounts of glucosinolates than cabbage, kale, cauliflower, and broccoli.8
Eat Brussels Sprouts for Your Heart Health, Too
The glucosinolate indole-3-carbinol (I3C) is a potent anti-inflammatory and it operates on a genetic level, helping to prevent inflammatory responses at the very early, initial stages.9 This is important, because chronic inflammation is the source of many diseases, including cancer, obesity, and heart disease.
You actually need some level of inflammation in your body to stay healthy, however it's also possible, and increasingly common, for the inflammatory response to get out of hand.
If your immune system mistakenly triggers an inflammatory response when no threat is present, it can lead to excess inflammation in your body, a condition linked to asthma, allergies, autoimmune disease, and much more, depending on which organs the inflammation is impacting. Unfortunately, chronic inflammation typically will not produce symptoms until actual loss of function occurs somewhere.
This is because chronic inflammation is low-grade and systemic, often silently damaging your tissues over an extended period of time. This process can go onfor years without you noticing, until a disease suddenly sets in. Diet accounts for about 80 percent of the health benefits you reap from leading a healthy lifestyle, and keeping inflammation in check is a major part of these benefits.
It’s due to Brussels sprouts’ anti-inflammatory properties, for example, that they may also offer important benefits for heart problems, including heart attack and atherosclerosis. As the George Mateljan Foundation noted:10
“Of particular interest here has been the isothiocyanate (ITC) sulforaphane, which is made from glucoraphanin (a glucosinolate) found in Brussels sprouts. Not only does this ITC trigger anti-inflammatory activity in our cardiovascular system — it may also be able to help prevent and even possibly help reverse blood vessel damage.”
Look for Locally Grown Brussels Sprouts Still on the Stalk
In the US, most Brussels sprouts are grown in California… but because they can be grown in cold weather (and actually taste best after the first frost), they’re widely available at farmer’s markets across the US, even during the colder months.
For the best Brussels sprouts you’ve ever tasted, try your hand at growing them yourself. Otherwise, look for those sold still attached to the stalk. They stay much fresher this way and, because they don’t have to be plucked from the stalk, there’s less labor involved so they often cost less as well.11
Although the liver is able to regenerate itself, it’s important you keep it healthy and eat foods which can further help promote liver regeneration. The following foods can help boost liver health as well as function.
Similar to the previous research mentioned, scientist at UC Davis further explored the use of proteins in liver regeneration. The identified protein is called PPARα and in mice models they found it to work quite quickly in liver regenerations.
