What do you know about the liver and its connection to B vitamins?
What could you say about how it functions and why it’s important? We know it’s primary job is to detoxify and excessive alcohol consumption can damage it but do you know how it affects your hormones? Yes, your liver affects your hormones. Which also means how you treat your liver affects your hormones – for better or for worse. Let’s dive in.
Detoxification Phases of The Liver:
Phase I Detoxification: During this phase, various enzymes, vitamins, and minerals modify the chemical structure of toxins to make them more water soluble (and less harmful), which prepares them for Phase II detoxification.
Phase II Detoxification: With the help of glycine, taurine, NAC, and other nutrients – the modified toxins from Phase I go through a step called Conjugation and are prepared for elimination.
Phase III Detoxification: A lesser agreed upon phase but important nonetheless! The liver waste products are eliminated through the bile/gallbladder, kidneys, colon, skin, and uterus.
The toxins processed in each phase can include sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone), alcohol, caffeine, food additives, pesticides, supplements, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides.
How does liver health affect hormones?
“Estrogen dominance” is a growing hot topic with neary 15,000 online searches every day! When we think about estrogen it’s natural to think about women but estrogen dominance applies to men too. Estrogen dominance in the condition of increased estrogen levels relative to progesterone levels in the body, or elevated estrogen levels relative to low testosterone levels in men. Estrogen is produced primarily in the ovaries, but the adrenal glands and adipose tissue (fat cells) also produce estrogen. Without a properly functioning liver, estrogen becomes a bit of a bully as levels steadily increase. If it can’t be efficiently metabolized by the liver, detox pathways slow down and progesterone and testosterone levels decrease.
Signs of Estrogen Dominance: thinning hair/hair loss, brain fog and fatigue, fluid retention or feeling “puffy”, irregular/heavy/painful periods, midsection weight gain, infertility, mood swings/irritability, decreased libido, decreased muscle tone, uterine fibroids, and abdominal bloating – to name a few.
Supporting Phase I Detoxification is crucial for estrogen metabolism. All of your B Vitamins play a key role in keeping this process moving smoothly to restore hormone balance. B Vitamins are naturally occurring in animal proteins, dark leafy greens, legumes/lentils, fruits, and vegetables. Unfortunately, the soil our food grows in has become depleted in nutrients and therefore our food doesn’t contain the level of nutrients our body needs. The same is still true even with an organic diet. This means supplementing with B Vitamins is an absolute MUST.
Which B Vitamin is best?
For the average person, choosing a trustworthy oral B-Complex supplement should be sufficient. When it comes to supplements – you get what you pay for – so, spend a little extra and get the good stuff. All of Glow’s Healthcare Providers are knowledgeable and can point you in the right direction.
For anyone with a MTHFR mutation, it’s absolutely vital to choose a methylated B-Complex. The Vitamin B12 should say “methylcobalamin” and the Vitamin B9 should say “methylfolate” or “5-MTHF”. A MTHFR mutation can be associated with infertility, heart disease, poor mental health/addiction, and certain medication sensitivities. If you don’t know if you have a MTHFR mutation, schedule with one of Glow’s Naturopathic Doctors to get yourself tested.
For anyone, and those with digestive problems, or who always forget to take supplements, consider a Vitamin B12 and B-Complex injection. This is a shot into your shoulder, glutes, or acupuncture points. These injections are a great alternative to the oral supplementation, safe for those with a MTHFR mutation, and can be given three times a week.
Supporting your liver doesn’t stop at B Vitamins. You’ll also need plenty of clean water, sweat inducing exercise, adequate sleep, sufficient protein intake, and a good mineral complex. You can do all the liver detoxes and cleanses you find on the internet but, without B Vitamins, you’ll be wasting your money.
Dr Katie is a Naturopathic Physician at Glow Natural Health. She believes we are born with the strength and 
ability to heal ourselves when living within the laws of nature. In her free time, Dr. Katie enjoys going on roadtrips (31 states and counting!), seeing live music, spending time with her partner Joey, and finding fun ways to exercise like rollerblading and playing pickleball.
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