The world is full of man-made toxicity and we are in a constant battle to detox these compounds. Environmental toxicity can include heavy metal toxicity, chemical toxicity and even organic substances such as moulds or bacteria. One type of chemical compound, organophosphates (OP), is a group of pesticides. This particular group of pesticides is one of the most widely used in Australia on fruit and vegetable crops.
It is a class of insecticides which irreversibly inhibits acetylcholinesterase, an enzyme critical to nerve function. Because of the few number of information about the health effects of chronic and low-dose OP exposure, further critical study and observations are required.
Clinical Relevance
In a recent study, levels of organophosphate metabolites were examined in the urine of a group of adults who strictly consumed only organic foods for a week versus adults who only ate non-organic foods for a week. And as expected, lesser pesticide metabolites were seen from those in the group who consumed organic food choices. However, it was also found that OP metabolites declined by nearly 90% after 7 days. This means that most ingested OP pesticides are metabolised and excreted within this span of time, with findings supported by previous studies on children.
Although the metabolite levels were significantly lower in the organic phase, there were still some residues found on the samples which, as stated, could cause harm and poisoning to humans. The authors stated that non-food sources of organophosphate could’ve been a reason behind the increased levels.
The human body is beautifully designed to detox, although the problem lies with the amount it must detox. If the body becomes burdened with toxicity, this is then termed poisoning. If a human is exposed to a level 50% of poisoning, then what exactly is this?
Creating Better Health
Conscious food intake has been trending widely, meaning people, even at young ages are now more concerned about the properties and composition of the food they eat. More importantly, people who are expecting a child are especially increasingly conscious about their food choices, as well as their environmental exposure to contaminants, and are even more critical about the substances they take. The earlier the better when reducing the exposure to environmental toxicity.
From these studies, practitioners then have developed an approach for supporting health and healthy detoxing. The basics include:
- Organic food choices
- Good quality diets and eating plans
- High quality herbal and nutritional detoxification compounds
- Clear disclosure of what their vitamin and mineral supplements contain
- Individualised support programs tailored for each patient