Detoxifying your body with DMSA

Chelation is the process of eliminating dangerous metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium from the body. Here we look at detoxification with DMSA, one of the best chelators available.

2020-08-19

Liver Health Features

Get rid of heavy metals mercury and cadmium

Heavy metals: a threat to health

Metals are elements that are naturally present in the human body: we know the key role played by iron, zinc, copper…

However those known as heavy metals, including mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic and aluminum, can be damaging to health when excessive amounts accumulate in organs.

Effects of lead, cadmium and mercury toxicity ...

Lead poisoning can cause severe mental deficiency in children (1).

Cadmium poisoning can result in damage to lungs, kidneys and bones (2). Excess mercury poses a serious risk to the nervous system as well as the digestive and immune systems, amongst others (3).

High levels of heavy metals in general may also have particularly harmful consequences for cardiovascular health, potentially increasing the risk of coronary disease or stroke (4). They may also stimulate inflammation (5) and destabilise cellular metabolism (6): a generally harmful development that poses a threat to all physiological functions.

DMSA: a powerful chelator

Chelation is the use of chelating agents to ‘catch’ the heavy metals stored in the body. Chelators can either be natural, as in the case of certain algae, or chemical.

DMSA is in the latter category - it stands for dimercaptosuccinic acid: its sulfur atoms form special bonds with the positive ions in metals. Firmly bound to DMSA, the metals are then eliminated naturally in urine.

DMSA capsules for detoxifying tissues and organs

DMSA has been found to be particularly effective at cleansing organs and tissues and thus eliminating accumulated heavy metals (7).

It has a clear advantage in that it can be easily ingested in the form of capsules, with no observed toxicity. It may, however, cause a few side-effects, affecting digestion in particular.

Consult your doctor before starting any chelation with DMSA

The oral form of DMSA is a powerful chelator. It is an invaluable aid to anyone whose health has been compromised by persistent exposure to heavy metals (try, for example, the product DMSA).

Take care though: DMSA is also a recognized drug. It’s therefore advisable to seek medical advice before taking DMSA in order to minimise any risks and unpleasant side effects.

We would also draw your attention to the properties of another compound: zeolite clinoptilolite, a natural mineral extracted from volcanoes.

References

Saturnisme. Inserm, mis à jour en août 2019. Consulté en Mars 2020.
P. Andujar, L. Bensefa-Colas, A. Descatha, Intoxication aiguë et chronique au cadmium, La Revue de Médecine Interne, Volume 31, Issue 2, 2010, Pages 107-115.
Mercure et santé. OMS, mis à jour en mars 2017. Consulté en mars 2020.
Chowdhury Rajiv, Ramond Anna, O’Keeffe Linda M, Shahzad Sara, Kunutsor Setor K, Muka Taulant et al. Environmental toxic metal contaminants and risk of cardiovascular disease: systematic review and meta-analysis BMJ 2018; 362.
Alissa EM, Ferns GA. Heavy metal poisoning and cardiovascular disease. J Toxicol. 2011;2011:870125.
Klaudia Jomova, Marian Valko, Advances in metal-induced oxidative stress and human disease, Toxicology, Volume 283, Issues 2–3, 2011, Pages 65-87.
H. Vasken Aposhian, DMSA and DMPS water soluble antidotes for heavy metal poisoning. Ann. Rev. Pharmacol. ToxicoL 1983. 23;193-21S

Keywords

Liver Health Features