Today we'll look at the liver and its critical role in filtering toxins from your body and enabling you to absorb crucial bone-building nutrients.
Then you'll learn about four foods that detoxify your liver so it can do what it does best: keep your body (including your bones) healthy and strong.
All About The Liver
Your liver is high in your abdomen, just below your diaphragm, and it's quite large– about the size of a football. Its functions include detoxification and the synthesis of compounds that aid digestion.
As a detoxifier, the liver filters toxic compounds from the body by breaking them down into compounds that can be excreted in the urine. This includes toxins that can interfere with healthy bone remodeling, as well as all prescription medications.
The liver also handles protein metabolism (amino acids), fats, and carbohydrates– a remarkably wide variety of essential macronutrients.
This organ also plays a critical role in digestion. It continuously produces bile, which is stored in the gallbladder. Bile has the ability to break down fats. Without bile, you can't absorb bone-healthy fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamins A, D, E, and K.
On top of all of this, the liver also acts as a storehouse for important vitamins and minerals– making them available when needed. It also stores glycogen, the molecule your body converts into glucose for energy.
Synopsis
The liver is a large organ that plays a number of important roles. It filters toxins from the body and metabolizes essential compounds like proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. It produces bile, which your digestive system needs to absorb bone-healthy fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamins A, D, E, and K, and stores glycogen as an energy reserve.
Bone Health And Your Liver
A great number of the liver's functions have a direct impact on the health and strength of your bones. The bile produced by the liver allows for the absorption of bone-essential vitamins. Without those vitamins, your bones would lack strength– just consider the importance of Vitamin D for calcium absorption, the primary building block of bone.
The toxic compounds and metabolic by-products that the liver filters from the body are acifiying. If the liver wouldn't remove them, the body would have to maintain its pH balance by resorbing alkalizing minerals from bone– increasing the risk of bone loss.
Studies have confirmed this cause-and-effect by examining the impact of liver disease on osteoblast function. Osteoblasts are bone cells in charge of depositing new, healthy, and more ductile bone. The researchers suggested that the compounds which would normally be filtered from the body were inhibiting the osteoblasts’ ability to create new bone mass.1
Synopsis
The liver supports bone health by facilitating the absorption of bone-essential vitamins and by filtering acidifying toxins from the body. This is crucial for the body's ability to create new bone.
Four Foods That Support A Healthy Liver
The imperative of a healthy and high-functioning liver is clear. So let's look at four ways to support liver health through diet. These four foods have all been proven to offer liver-boosting properties– and they each provide nutrients that are essential for your bones.
Beetroot – Beets are a root vegetable easily recognized by their dark purple-red coloration. Beets are excellent sources of folate, Vitamin C, manganese, magnesium and copper– all Foundation Supplements. Additionally, beets contain the bioactive compound betaine and a variety of polyphenols. Studies have shown that beets have a liver-protective effect, thanks to their robust variety of phytonutrients.2
Grapefruit – Grapefruit is an excellent source of Vitamins A and C as well as copper and potassium. It also contains a lesser-known antioxidant named naringenin. Found in other citrus fruits as well, naringenin activates proteins that cause the liver to break down fatty acids and increases insulin sensitivity. This helps to regulate blood glucose levels which is beneficial for your bones, and is especially important for people with Type 2 diabetes. Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston noted evidence that it may actually protect the liver from damage.3
Walnuts – Walnuts are most notable for their large concentration of essential fatty acids (EFAs). The nut's ability to boost Omega-3 levels has been linked to increased bone strength. The same fatty acids also offer benefits to the liver. Researchers found that nuts like walnuts had a positive impact on the liver health of patients with non-acloholic fatty liver disease.4
Blueberries – The remarkable polyphenol content of blueberries makes them powerful bone-builders. A study on the effects of blueberries on liver health found that this humble fruit significantly increased important antioxidant components in the liver. Those antioxidants protect the liver from oxidative damage.5
Synopsis
Beetroot, grapefruit, walnuts, and blueberries have all been found to have liver-protective qualities. Incorporate them into your diet to support the health of your liver and your bones.
What This Means To You
A healthy liver is essential for strong and healthy bones. Fortunately, you can help maintain your liver’s health by eating liver-detoxifying foods.
A more potent way to boost the health of your body's filtration system is with the Save Institute's bone-building cleanse.
The Osteoporosis Fresh Start Cleanse is a seven-day process that flushes the toxins from your body, allowing your liver to rest and recover. It will leave you energized, refreshed, and ready to make renewed progress toward your bone health goals.
References
1 https://www.jofem.org/index.php/jofem/article/view/250/319
2 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17234508/
3 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0012399
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You’re a true Saver, Janice! And you’re right about taking Vitamin K2. This article will give you the science-backed information you can share with your doctor:
https://saveourbones.com/6-reasons-to-make-sure-youre-getting-enough-vitamin-k/
Keep learning and using that knowledge to improve your health naturally!
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HI, VIVIAN…..thank you so very much for helping us over many years now!
I have a question to ask, If I may, please: do you know what the cause of fatty tumours is (lypoma), and if there is a way of ridding oneself of them?
I have so many, and more are forming over most of my body. Some cause pain, as in the buttocks. I thank you sincerely for any help that you may offer, Vivian!
Blessings!
Judy-
Dear Judy,
We understand your concerns and are happy to assist you within the next 24-48 hours via email. So please check your email inbox within that time frame.
Yours in excellent health,
Customer Support
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My friend has been diagnose with Multiple Myeloma. A blood (bone)cancer which has no cure to date. He will have to endure 25 treatments of chemo. Can you suggest a good diet for him to follow? Thank you for all of the good information you posted to date.
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Dear Carl,
We’re so sorry about your friend’s condition! Please check your email inbox within the next 24-48 hours for an answer to your question.
In excellent health,
Customer Support
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Thanks so much for yet another interesting chapter! I have been a keen follower if your articles for years now. My past history of cervical cancer (successfully treated) and 6 yrs ago having contracted Lyme disease ( more difficult to treat, if at all, given the lack of knowledge about it within the medical profession) has led me to follow a very careful diet and lifestyle Happy to say at 76, I am pretty fit and active, with no aches or pains and not on any medication!!
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My pleasure, and I congratulate you for staying on a natural path to health and well-being!
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Thank you for all your good advice, I am 60 & have scoliosis & osteoarthritis & always find your information helpful.
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You’re welcome, Deb!
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Thanks so much Vivian for sharing this!
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My pleasure, Karen!
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Thank you Vivian for giving us this information! My husband has fatty liver disease and is trying to eat healthy.
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You’re welcome, Pearl! I hope your husband’s condition will improve soon.
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Wouldn’t any black or blue foods work as well as in blackberries, black grapes (especially chewing the seeds = free grape seed extract) or eggplant over beets?
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Dark fruits and veggies are typically rich in polyphenols and help to prevent damage by free radicals. That does not mean that beets are inferior, though. As the referenced study shows, beets have a positive effect on the liver.
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Vivian, I have been following you for many years and had the same experience when your doctor told you to take osteoporosis drugs & my doctor was angry with me when I told her no drugs! I told her “I’ll do it on my own”. Within 2 weeks I saw your 1st e-mail on Save Your Bones. Thank you! 🙂
After the doctor had me on calcium (1800 mg a day) for ten years, she finally told me to stop taking calcium. Never did give me a direct answer on why? I read about a research that said older women should not be taking calcium pills because it can clog the arteries. I also read that taking vit. D-3 with vit. K-2 at the same time helps opening up the arteries. I called my doctor to see if I should & she said “no”. I decided to go ahead & take vit. K-2 anyway. My answer to you is;
is this okay to take? Thank you, Janice King