Liver Detoxification Profile

A typical Detoxification Profile will assess the body's capacity to carry out detoxification through functional challenges – caffeine, acetaminophen, and salicylate – which evaluate specific aspects of the detoxification process and free radical damage.  These functional assessments provide a comprehensive profile of the body's detoxification capacity and potential susceptibility to oxidative damage.

Instructions

In the Detoxification Profile, one caffeine caplet (200mg) is taken in the morning and its clearance is assessed from 2 salivary specimens collected 2 and 8 hours after ingestion.

Aspirin and acetaminophen are ingested in the evening and the products of detoxifying reactions are assessed in a 10-hour overnight urine specimen.  The challenge dose consists of 2 capsules of aspirin (650mg total) and 2 capsules of acetaminophen (650mg total).  The only side-effect is potential drowsiness.

In the comprehensive version of this profile, the urine specimen is analyzed for levels of lipid peroxides.  In addition, glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, plasma cysteine, and plasma sulfate are assessed from fasting blood specimens.