Science
How Mold Toxicity Affects Your Liver
Your liver needs to work well to detox mold. Unfortunately, mycotoxins overwhelm your liver and make that difficult. Here's how…
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INFLAMMATION
For starters, mycotoxins increase inflammatory cytokines in the body. (i) This leads to chronic inflammation, which is associated with liver disorders, including fibrosis and necrosis. Research also suggests a link between mycotoxin exposure and elevated liver enzymes. (2) Your GGT (Gamma-Glutamyl Transpeptidase) liver enzyme may be high in mold illness.
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The chronic inflammation that comes with mold illness also overloads the liver, increasing your risk of insulin resistance. Plus, when your liver is burdened with mycotoxins, this damages your mitochondria, causing negative effects on your appetite and energy production.
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One huge way mycotoxins overwhelm your liver involves your genes. In a perfect world, your liver would filter mycotoxins, and they'd be escorted out in your urine or stool. However, if you're one of the unlucky 25% with the HLA-DR gene, then your body doesn't produce antibodies against mycotoxins.
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Instead, for those that struggle with detox, mycotoxins go through something called 'enterohepatic recirculation.' That means that rather than being safely ushered out of the body, they keep recirculating, causing mayhem in the process.
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What's most startling is that mycotoxins increase your risk of liver cancer. (3) How? Well, believe it or not, some mycotoxins cause mutations in a tumor suppressor gene.
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Combine that inability to snuff out tumors with chronic inflammation and elevated liver enzymes, and you've got yourself the perfect storm for liver cancer. Even low levels of mycotoxin exposure can increase your risk of liver cancer.
LEAKY GUT & GUT INFECTIONS
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Toxic mold can be a strong disruptor of the gut in these ways:
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Increases leaky gut
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Lowers immunity to infections like parasites
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Likely candida overgrowth
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Dysbiosis (less friendly bacteria, more pathogenic bacteria Thinned mucosal (protective) lining
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Intestinal permeability AKA leaky gut (inflammation, liver burden, immune disruption)
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Decreased intestinal detoxification
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Decreased antioxidant and neurotransmitter production
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A leaky gut combined with increased infections means more waste product is passing into the bloodstream to be processed by the liver.
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This is one-way autoimmunity can develop – the body starts to attack all these wastes in the blood and, accidentally, the body's tissue. This can include Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.
The liver is a busy site of thyroid hormone production as well. When the liver is burdened, guess what? You are likely not converting inactive thyroid hormone into the active form you need.