There is a common misunderstanding about kidney function and detox. While these organs are essential to get rid of toxins, this often has little to do with losing weight. Of course, you could gain weight if your kidneys do not work correctly, but that is because the fluid that should be eliminated is retained in your body, increasing your weight.
This article will address the critical topic of kidney failure or renal failure. After reading, you will know what it is about and understand the relationships between the kidneys and the liver as the most important detox organs of the body. Moreover, you will understand what it really means to detox your body away from fad diets, myths, and bad science.
The kidneys and the liver: detox organs with a close relationship
There are two main filtering organs in the body: the kidneys and the liver. Each one has a clearing function of their own, and they often work simultaneously and synergistically to get rid of certain substances. Both organs receive a very high volume of blood every minute, which is essential to perform their respective filtering functions.
The liver also receives blood from the intestines through the portal system, which takes everything we absorb in the gut into the liver. Thus, the organ behaves like a primary checkpoint of every nutrient and substance we eat. It converts toxic substances right away, inactivating them before reaching the bloodstream. In this regard, the liver is a vital organ to make sure that everything you eat is safe. Of course, some toxins escape the liver, and that’s why it is also essential to make sure that we eat healthy foods at all times.
Sometimes, the liver converts substances into an inactive form that is soluble in water. Instead of eliminating the substances by themselves, it facilitates the work to the kidneys. These organs receive the substance with a marking tag and eliminate it immediately. This happens through a filtering process that takes place in small units called nephrons. They have a glomerulus, where the blood passes at an incredible speed, and it behaves like a centrifugal machine. Waste products enter other structures, called tubules, where some substances return to the blood while others are eliminated. The resulting urine is collected in the bladder and eliminated in due time.
Throughout this process, many toxins are taken out, including waste products, excess vitamins, minerals, and other chemicals and metabolites that no longer work.