What Does the Liver Do?
5. Detoxifies Blood
The liver clears toxins from the bloodstream in a process known as detoxification. This process occurs in two phases: oxidation and conjugation. During the first phase, the liver breaks down the toxins using oxygen and enzymes. Oxidation causes the toxins to become soluble in water so that they can be excreted via the kidneys or in bile.
However, this first phase can at times disrupt the detoxification process. This is because oxidation may cause some toxins to become even more toxic, for instance, in the case of benzene, a toxic substance found in cigarettes and gasoline. Oxidizing benzene produces benzene quinones, which are even more toxic. In order to get rid of such toxins, the liver must perform conjugation. In this second phase, the oxidized toxins are combined with organic acids, sulphur, or specific amino acids and then excreted into bile.
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