Lead toxicity is pervasive in the environment especially in cinnamon, apple sauce and other foods, water, baby toys,   Learn about the various sources, testing, and elimination of Lead. First it is important to know how it got there in the first place.  It can come from what you eat, water you may drink, inhaling it as in industrial uses of lead, such as in glazing, domestic water pipes, paints, plumbing, printing, lead pencils and batteries as well as other uses. 

Another common source of lead exposure is leaching of lead from pipes used in older homes that are now being replaced by copper piping. Once in your body, lead gets deposited into bone tissue and brain tissue, which is why blood tests are not accurate for long term exposure.

Lead is Fat Soluble

Heavy metals, including lead, are all fat soluble.  The liver detoxifies toxins and heavy metals and excretes them through the bile.  However, most are reabsorbed.  Glutathione breaks this cycle and toxins are then removed through the kidneys for water soluble ones, as well as the feces.

Glutathione

Glutathione is the first and best to add to detoxify lead (as well as other heavy metals).  Without glutathione lead from the environment cannot be detoxified and eliminated.  Glutathione along with MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) are your primary sulfur sources which your body can produce.

Sulfur is present in several proteins and numerous enzymes which require intact sulfur groups. Tripeptides of sulfur are glutathione, cysteine and glycine.   Many are inactivated by lead.

Glutathione usually comes in 50 mg caps.  You can start taking on an empty stomach 50 mg three times a day.

Additional Supplements to Eliminate Lead from Your Body

MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) contains bioavailable sulfur.  It can provide sulfur to cysteine and methionine.

B6 – pyridoxine – is the next important one.  It is used to convert methionine to cysteine and then to glutathione.  A suggested use is 50 mg B6 with your breakfast meal. The CoEnzyme form of B Vitamins have the best utilization by the body.

B1 (thiamine) is next.  Use 50 mg one cap three times a day with meals.

NAC ( N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine) can stimulate your body to produce large amounts of cysteine and glutathione.  Use of this is optional.

Zinc is needed for many functions in the body. For this purpose zinc stimulates the production of metallothionein in the body.  This is one way the body detoxifies the effects of lead.  There are all different kinds of zinc tablets available.  For the best zinc to actually get through the cell membrane, it should be attached to an amino acid chelate. (see our blog on Zinc).

Vitamin C is also important in helping the body to detox lead, and other toxins.  Start with 500 mg once a day and build up in divided doses to 1500 mg or more a day.  If you take too much, and you get diarrhea, just take 3/4ths the amount in divided doses the next day.

Selenium is the next nutrient.  It is an essential trace element and is a component of glutathione-peroxidase. It also helps produce T3.  Start with 50 micrograms three times a day.  Selenium should never be taken with Vitamin C. Take it 2-3 hours before or after taking Vitamin C as it will reduce selenite to the biologically unavailable form.

ALA (alpha lipoic acid) has a metal chelating capacity and it substantially increases reduced glutathione.  It also may be effective in numerous neureodegenerative disorders. You can take 100 mg capsule once daily. 

Also you can take Molybdenum that increases urinary excretion of lead.

And take an amino acid complex which prevents depletion of several amino acids.  Take one hour before meals or at bedtime.

Foods to help eliminate Lead from your body

Garlic-contains a high level of sulfur and some contain selenium.

Bromelain from pineapple. Take between meals with a full glass of water.

A high fiber diet.  An easy way to get more fiber is to eat oat or bran muffins.  Also spring water 8 glasses/day will help your body to eliminate the toxins.

Gut micro flora and Lead

As long as the gut micro flora is functioning properly, the body can eliminate lead and other heavy metals.  A simple stool test can tell you how well your gut micro flora is functioning.  The Microbiology Stool Analysis is a great test that reports these parameters.

How to Test for Lead Toxicity

The best test to determine long term exposure to lead and other toxic heavy metals in your body is through a hair test, which is much more practical than an invasive bone biopsy; blood testing is only accurate for a very recent exposure..

To conclude, there are a number of supplements that can help eliminate lead from your body as well as tests to determine levels of Lead and other heavy metals you may have.  To monitor your progress, hair tests are available from Health Always which can demonstrate long term exposure to Lead and other heavy metals.  A urine test can be used but should be provoked by an oral or IV chelating agent first for accurate tissue results. Blood testing is not an accurate test for long term exposure.