Bayou Health | Spring Cleaning for Your Body

Preventing Heavy Metal Accumulation

article by Shannon Dahlum, FDN-P

All forms of chronic disease spring from two simple causes; deficiency and/or toxicity.  Nutritional deficiencies are rampant because our society prioritizes food convenience over food quality. Even unprocessed foods aren’t as nutrient dense as they once were because of how it’s raised (prioritizing efficiency) and how deficient our soils have become.  Toxic exposures come in many forms, from agricultural and cleaning chemicals, to plastics and pharmaceuticals. The World Health Organization has acknowledged environmental pollution as the underlying cause of 80% of all chronic degenerative diseases. One pervasive contributor to toxicity in our bodies is heavy metals, which are so ubiquitous in our environment that everyone is exposed to them.  They can’t be avoided completely and are present in everyone to some degree. Because heavy metals are persistent and cumulative in the environment, humans today are exposed to levels several thousand times higher than they were several hundred years ago.  

Heavy or toxic metals are non-nutritive trace metals that are at least five times denser than water. They can’t be metabolized by the body and are passed up the food chain to humans. Heavy metals (including lead, mercury, nickel, aluminum, fluoride, cadmium, arsenic and uranium) are distributed widely throughout our environment due to their various applications in environmental, occupational, household (including foods, water, paints, cosmetics, etc), medical, industrial, and technological applications. These metals can enter the body through inhalation, intestinal absorption, and can even be absorbed through the skin depending on their form. Elemental forms of heavy metals aren’t well absorbed by the body, but organic forms readily pass through cell membranes and can cross the blood-brain barrier, which allows them to accumulate in the brain. 

Once absorbed into the body, heavy metals are distributed in various organs, glands, and the central nervous system. They are a major cause of inflammation, infection, irritation and tissue damage throughout the body. Some metals are bone seekers and ultimately settle into the teeth and skeletal system. Others have a proclivity for the liver and brain where they interfere with neurological function, mood, and the hundreds of vital functions carried out by the liver. Heavy metals can effectively poison enzyme systems, increase free radical production, “short circuit” and otherwise damage the brain and nervous system, support the development of fungal, viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections, and displace or compete with the absorption of nutritional minerals that are needed to support healthy functioning. There are at least 76 published functional and behavioral abnormalities associated with heavy metal toxicity. 

One factor that contributes to where heavy metals accumulate in the body, as well as an individual’s propensity to accumulate that metal, is called molecular mimicry.  Different metals are very similar in molecular structure to different minerals and amino acids. For example, lead closely mimics calcium in structure, so it has a tendency to accumulate in the bones and teeth.  When an individual has a deficiency of calcium, their bodies can begin accumulating lead to use in its place. Because of it’s similar molecular structure, it serves as a (very poor) calcium substitute, but brings a host of problems along with it. Lead accumulation can create thyroid and adrenal problems, nervous system disorders and many neuromuscular symptoms.  Conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, osteoporosis and other types of bone diseases may be related to lead toxicity to some degree. 

Mercury is another pervasive toxic metal that is widely known to be toxic to humans. Its usage over the past few decades has diminished significantly, but it’s still pervasive in the environment. Major sources of mercury today are fish consumption (especially larger and longer living species, like tuna), dental amalgams, vaccines containing thimerosal, and congenital mercury that is passed from mother to baby.  Mercury particularly affects the kidneys, liver, brain, endocrine glands, and muscular system. Neuromuscular diseases (such as multiple sclerosis), and mental illnesses, as well as hundreds of other conditions can be related to mercury toxicity.  Mercury pushes zinc, selenium, iodine, chromium and manganese out of the body, so it depletes these necessary nutrients.  As a result of these deficiencies, an individual with a heavy mercury burden can develop neurotransmitter imbalances and mental health challenges, blood sugar dysregulation, and even metabolic diseases. 

All of the heavy metals oppose various minerals and vitamins in the body which leads to deficiencies in vital nutrients.  Lead opposes calcium, zinc, manganese, copper, iron, and iodine. Aluminum antagonizes vitamin C, magnesium, zinc and calcium. Arsenic opposes selenium, phosphorus, molybednum, iodine and vitamin C. The list goes on.  Because of this mineral-metal antagonism, those nutrients can also push their opposing metals out the body.  For this reason, consuming a nutrient dense diet rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals is one of our best defenses against heavy metal accumulation.  An individual with nutrient deficiencies is much more at risk for accumulating heavy metals than those who have adequate nutrient stores. 

In addition to consuming a diet rich in metal opposing nutrients, ensuring the elimination pathways in the body are open is vital for preventing heavy metal accumulation.  The body relies on minerals and vitamins to support the detoxification of heavy metals, but they also need to be able to exit the body efficiently so they aren’t reabsorbed.  This requires healthy colon function, kidney and liver function, and healthy lymphatic and respiratory system function. These systems can all be supported by ensuring easy daily bowel movements, consuming plenty of clean water (spring water is my top choice for cleanliness and mineral content), regular sweating through infrared sauna or hot soaks in epsom salt baths, consistent movement with walking, stretching, bending and twisting, and even ensuring healthy deep breathing patterns, while avoiding alcohol and highly processed foods. 

Recently, I’ve been seeing a lot of my clients presenting with a high body burden of mercury and/or aluminum that appears to be interfering significantly with mental health and hormonal balance.  Along with learning to support their bodies with the specific nutrients they’re in need of (which they find through testing), they are guided on supporting the elimination pathways mentioned above, and also learn how to diminish their exposure to these ubiquitous metals. Aluminum exposure that’s easily avoidable comes from anti-perspirants, cooking with aluminum foil and aluminum cookware, aluminum cans, antacids, cosmetics, some vaccines, nasal sprays, and tap water, among others.  Common sources of mercury exposure are the consumption of large fish, fungicides, dental fillings, contact lens solution, some household cleaners (Ajax, Comet, Lysol, Bleach), cosmetics, laxatives, high fructose corn syrup, some vaccines, and tap water. 

During this time of the year, as you focus on spring cleaning your home, I’d like to encourage you to also focus on cleaning out household and personal care products you’re using that may be contributing to your body’s heavy metal burden. Exposure to these metals can’t be completely avoided, but diminishing exposure where possible, while supporting your body with the foundational principles of nutrition, sleep, and movement, will give you the ability to prevent them from accumulating in your tissues and wreaking havoc on your health.