Cancer: GI Health & Detox
Your Health Begins from Your Mouth
Your health begins from the food you eat and shows on the wastes you pass out, this is called Colon transit.
Colon transit time is the time between the moment you ingest your food, to when it starts to appear in your stool, and of course, when it stops appearing in your stool, or more simply put, how long the food stays in your system. In more rural areas, where diet consists of low meat content, and high fiber, the colon transit time is usually less 24 hours. Whereas in the modern world, where diet is more refined, and processed, we see longer transit time.
During or after the chemotherapy, paying attention to colon transit time becomes very important.
Bowel movement is one of the most important ways for our body to detoxify. But what else do we need to do to help it?
Before we go any further, let’s get to know a little more about how our body detoxes. Our body detoxes in 3 phases.
Phase 1: The body uses the liver enzyme to oxidate, hydrolyze or hydrate toxic substances. In this phase, toxins are transformed into reactive intermediate substances and produce free radicals, which lead to elevated oxidative stress. These intermediates are sometimes more toxic to the body. The metabolism of medication happens in this phase. The byproducts of detoxification, the intermediates, can potentially damage the liver and further damage the DNA, which can lead to cellular damage, and finally, lead to inflammation and cancer.
Phase 2: The body starts to conjugate the intermediates produced in phase one. The intermediates will be conjugated into water soluble, non toxic substances through this process so our body can eliminate them.
Phase 3: This phase involves the transportation of the detox end products, which relies on the GI movement and protection from the gut flora. Not one phase is more important than the others.
Research shows that the increased cancer risk is related to increased oxidative stress, so how do we make sure our cells are protected from the toxins? Luckily, we can help ourselves by eating the right food and improving our gut function.
In phase 1, we can see a potential increase of oxidative stress, so the solution is to increase the dietary intake of antioxidants and polyphenols, with food such as cruciferous vegetables, vitamin C, Zinc, curcumin, tea, and blueberries (Research Article).
In phase 2, the body requires more nutrients to help this process of conjugation more efficiently. The nutrients needed are Calcium-d -glucarate, Amino acids, cruciferous vegetables for sulfur metabolism, MSM, and N-Acetyl Cysteine. In this phase, although the nutrients can be ingested through food, the most efficient and effective method is to supplement them additionally under professional guidance (Research Article).
Phase 3 is what we know as elimination. Because the end products from phase 2 are water soluble, the body can eliminate these end products through sweating, urinating, and bowel movement. An enhancement of the elimination function can be achieved through increasing fiber intake, exercise, or sauna.
More often than not, when talking about a healthy lifestyle, we hear only about eating healthy. After all, talking about regular bowel movement isn’t exactly glamorous! However, while we focus on the food we eat, we also need to make sure we have enough hydration and a regular bowel movement to eliminate toxins from our system. By elimination of toxins and replenishment of good nutrients, our body would truly enjoy the benefit of being and feeling great!
