Why Sweating is Essential for Detox

An Effective Detox Includes:

1. Mobilization: the liberation of stored toxins from tissues and cells, accomplished by calorie restriction, consuming specific macronutrients, time restricted eating, exercise, and sauna sessions.
   

2. Detoxification: the proper metabolism and biotransformation of toxins through all four phases of detoxification, so they can be effectively excreted and eliminated from the body, accomplished through the consumption of specific foods, beverages, and supplements.
   

3. Excretion: the elimination of detoxified xenobiotics from the body, accomplished by sweating during exercise and sauna, and specific binding supplements.
   

We will look closer at types of toxins we are being exposed to and the detoxification process within the cells in further blogs in this series. For now, let’s say it’s clear that today we are all exposed to many toxins whether from the environment, food, water and household products. The effect of these really depends on the health of the person. Someone with a good diet, who exercises, eliminates well, sweats, has a fairly healthy lifestyle and maintains a good weight will likely not hold on to as many toxins as someone who doesn’t. Toxins that are not water soluble are typically stored in fat cells, tissues and sometimes bone, and have the ability to cause cellular dysfunction, by damaging DNA, mitochondria, and disturbing epigenetic expression.

What the research shows is that an effective detox program supports the full end-to-end process, starting from the initial mobilization of the toxins, to the detoxification process within the cells, including the biotransformation of fat soluble to water soluble toxins that can be excreted, and finally the excretion of the toxins once they are out of the cells, through various pathways.

Sweating helps eliminate phthalates

Phthalates are chemical compounds that are used frequently in plastics, household products and cosmetics.

“The phthalate family of chemical compounds are components of innumerable everyday consumer products, resulting in a high exposure scenario for some individuals. Some parent phthalates as well as their metabolites were excreted into sweat.”

Toxic elements preferentially excreted through sweat

This study again shows how certain toxins showed up in sweat that did not show up in blood or urine, therefore must have been stored in the body.

“Many toxic elements appeared to be preferentially excreted through sweat. Presumably stored in tissues, some toxic elements readily identified in the perspiration of some participants were not found in their serum. Induced sweating appears to be a potential method for elimination of many toxic elements from the human body.”

We can conclude from the scientific literature that induced sweating may be a very effective method to support the elimination of toxic trace metals and certain compounds. While not all compounds are effectively eliminated by sweat, it seems imperative to induce sweat daily as part of a well structured detox program, in order to support both the initial mobilization and the elimination of toxins from the body.