Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Your liver is the "brain of your body" and its healthy function is required for your ongoing well being. Your liver is potentially damaged by pollution, excess alcohol, medications, street drugs, internal "plumbing" problems, and excess food. For the first time, a process by which your liver can regenerate itself has been identified. As it turns out the endothelial cells1 lining the circulatory system within your liver orchestrate the rejuvenation process.

This is the first time scientists have ever documented a specific mechanism involved with liver rejuvenation. They hope to use the information to help individuals with liver injury or diseased livers. I think their discovery has immediate practical application value for you in terms of maintaining optimal liver function and health.

Endothelial cells are the weak link in the circulatory system. They form a thin layer, only one cell thick, which lines the insides of your arteries. They are crucial regulators of nutrient uptake from your circulation and instrumental in blood pressure regulation. When they are injured, the plaquing process is set in motion and increases potential for cardiovascular disease. In this context, the importance of endothelial cells has been understood for quite some time.

This new study proves that endothelial cells within your liver secrete signals that initiate and sustain the rejuvenation of your liver. They enable stem cells to form new liver cells and then coordinate the linking together of the liver cells to form new organ structure.

The problem is that endothelial cells are in contact with the contents of the blood. The greater the number of stress chemicals, toxins, pollutants, antigens, junk food, and other irritants that come into contact with them, the greater the potential to damage these cells. This means that their ability to orchestrate rejuvenation would be compromised.

Furthermore, injured endothelial cells cannot be replaced by those next to them splitting and dividing so as to form a new layer. Rather, new endothelial cells must be produced in the bone marrow and travel to the liver (or anywhere else in the circulation) in order to fix the injured area. This means bone health must be maintained in order to have a supply of rejuvenating endothelial cells. This may be one key reason that bone health is associated with longevity (independent of the fracture issue).

The researchers also demonstrated that this mechanism of liver organ rejuvenation likely applies to all organs, although endothelial cell growth factors for each organ likely have different signals and these have not yet been figured out. However, the concept of preserving the health of your endothelial cells so as to aid general organ rejuvenation seems to be an emerging new fundamental principle of health.

In addition to bone health, this places a new emphasis on keeping your blood "cleaner" and your endothelial cells protected. This means the entire subject of detoxification is of immense importance. Nutrients that preserve the lining of the insides of your arteries including your endothelial cells. Top choices would include DHA, tocotrienol E, silymarin, taurine, and grape seed extract. However, there are many nutrients likely to help in one way or another.

The take home message is that you are more likely to be able to naturally rejuvenate your body organs (i.e., live longer and healthier) with cleaner blood, nourished endothelial cells lining your blood stream, and good bone health.