Acrolein Toxicity And Health Effects
Everyday toxin exposures, like acrolein, block detoxification pathways, deplete important nutrients, and contribute to chronic disease.
Acrolein might be a new word to you, but it is becoming an increasingly important chemical to have on your radar in terms of personal and community health.
According to Great Plains Laboratory (now Mosaic Labs), about 80% of people who test for environmental chemicals using their GPL-TOX test have elevated acrolein levels.
Why is this toxin so pervasive?
Where is it found? A
nd what can we do to limit our exposures and protect our bodies?
Today’s article will answer these questions and more.
Keep reading to learn:
- What is acrolein
- Environmental sources of acrolein exposure
- Internal, biological sources of acrolein exposure
- What happens when acrolein enters the body
- Chronic disease associated with acrolein exposure
- How to get tested for acrolein and support detoxification
What is Acrolein?
Acrolein is a highly toxic, colorless liquid with a strong, caustic smell. It is a breakdown product of glycerin, the common compound used in soapmaking, cosmetics and other natural products.
Glycerin is made of glycerol, which are the molecules in the body that hold fat together. You may be familiar with the term triglycerides from your previous blood work.
Triglycerides are compounds composed of three fatty acid molecules plus one glycerol backbone. Glycerol is found throughout nature in plants and animals.
While glycerin/glycerol is benign and even helpful, its breakdown product, acrolein, is highly unstable, reactive and causes damage to the body.
Chemically, acrolein is an aldehyde. Another unstable aldehyde you may be familiar with is acetaldehyde, which is the intermediate metabolite of alcohol detoxification responsible for the hangover symptoms experienced from drinking too many alcoholic beverages.
Where Do You Find Acrolein In The Environment?
Acrolein is found in the external environment, in the air and water, from natural and industrial exposures.
Here are some common sources of acrolein exposure:
- Acrolein is added to irrigation canals as an algicide, to kill algae and floating weeds. Therefore, it may be found in food and water. Acrolein has been found to degrade within 6 days in surface water.
- Acrolein is used in the oil and gas industry as a biocide meant to kill living organisms.
- Acrolein is found in smoke including cigarette smoke, secondhand smoke, smoke from burning wood or plastic, smoke from deep frying food in oil, and forest fires. It’s also a component air pollution from oil and gas combustion.
- Acrolein is used in industrial production to make other chemicals such as refrigerants and plastics.
Acrolein And The Microbiome
While these external chemical exposures are likely the main sources of acrolein, some of us are exposed to acrolein via internal production. Acrolein is created by certain microorganisms in an unbalanced microbiome.
For example, we know that acrolein is produced by clostridia bacteria when they colonize the digestive tract. Clostridium difficile, or C. diff for short, is a well-known gut infection that falls into this category.
Fungal overgrowth, such as candida, may be another source of acrolein.
In addition, acrolein may accumulate in the body, and specifically in the kidneys and bladder, as a result of the metabolism of certain chemotherapy drugs.
Acrolein Toxicity and Health Concerns
We are likely exposed to acrolein through multiple sources, both external and internal, and over time these exposures may lead to disease.
First, let’s discuss how acrolein enters the body and its metabolism.
Environmental acrolein enters the body via ingestion, breathing or contact with the skin. The body identifies acrolein as a toxin and sends it to the liver to be detoxified.
Detoxification of acrolein requires glutathione, the body’s powerful master antioxidant. Glutathione levels may become depleted in the process, making one more vulnerable to toxic effects.
As acrolein circulates it causes widespread damage and oxidative stress. It creates reactive oxygen species that damage DNA, proteins and mitochondria.
Acute, high-level exposures irritate the eyes, nasal passages and skin. Direct exposures also suppress the immune system, making one more susceptible to infections and illness.
Chronic exposures, at lower levels, create widespread inflammation and contributes to chronic disease.
Conditions and diseases associated with acrolein include:
- Insulin resistance and diabetes
- Multiple sclerosis
- Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
- Cardiovascular disease
- Brain, liver and kidney toxicity
- Sjogren’s syndrome
- Kidney failure
- Cancer
Based on these health effects, many of which are severe, acrolein is important to know about and avoid as possible.
Next, let’s talk about how to do so.
Anti-Acrolein Action Steps
Why make guesses about toxin levels when we have the tools to identify toxins in your body that may be contributing to health concerns.
Here are some simple action steps to help you uncover acrolein (and other chemical) toxicity, build resilience and support detoxification.
1. Get Tested. The GPL-Tox Non-Metal Chemical Profile from Mosaic Diagnostics (formally Great Plains Lab) tests 170 markers for a wide range of toxic chemicals, including benzene, plasticizers, herbicides and more. 3-hydroxypropylmercaturic acid is the metabolite for acrolein you’ll find on the test.
Another helpful test is the Urinary Organic Acids Test, also from Mosaic. In addition to providing a lot of information about metabolic health, this test looks at markers for bacteria and yeast, including clostridia bacteria, which help to determine if acrolein exposure is from the environment or being produced in the gut, at least partially.
Both tests, along with other helpful functional tests, may be self-ordered here. We recommend working with your Functional Medicine provider for interpretation and guidance regarding treatment.
2. Start with the gut. The idea that “all disease begins in the gut,” is spot on, especially for someone with acrolein-producing overgrowth. Gut testing via the organic acids test discussed above and the GI-MAP stool test provides a lot of information about personal digestive health, microbiome balance and the presence of pathogens.
With this information, and the help of your provider, the next step is to work systematically to balance and rebuild the microbiome and halt acrolein production. For more ideas and tools read: How To Improve Digestive Symptoms and Restore Gut Health.
3. Up antioxidants. Antioxidants in the diet help to protect cells and tissues in the body from toxic chemicals and their metabolites. Given how many chemicals are in the environment, we likely need more antioxidants than ever before. You’ll find these in colorful plant foods including pomegranate, blueberries, broccoli, spinach, turmeric, cranberries, apples, green tea and cacao. One study looked at a compound called theophylline found in coffee, green tea and cacao and found them to provide protection from acrolein.
When you’re on the go or struggling to incorporate enough antioxidants into your daily diet, consider using a high-quality superfood powder. I recommend Exceed Greens and Reds Organic Grain-Free Superfood Powder. Just one scoop in water or your favorite smoothie delivers a wealth of phytonutrients and antioxidants, making it an easy and effective way to boost your nutrient intake.
5. Filter indoor air. Since much of the environmental acrolein is found in smoke and air pollution, protect yourself by filtering the air you breathe most: the air inside your home and workplace. Both IQAir and Austin Air offer small filtering units to place in your most-used rooms, such as the bedroom, living room, and office.
Assessing each patient’s toxic load and identifying specific toxin exposures is a key piece of the Functional Medicine approach.
With accumulating scientific evidence it’s easy to see that toxins contribute to the disease process, but, unfortunately, the contribution of these environmental factors is often ignored in conventional medicine settings.
Given the abundance of chemicals in the environment today, we can no longer ignore acrolein and other toxins when it comes to our health. It all starts with knowledge and awareness.
When we know about these chemicals, we then work to support our bodies, and ideally avoid the exposures in the first place.
References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4306719
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5770549/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5770549/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27802593/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32876917/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30863888/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32786830/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37203991/
