Is low-tox living helping or harming our health?

I have noticed that lately the media is inundated by articles and posts about the dangers of toxins and how we all should embrace a "low-tox life", as modern life is killing us slowly. According to the media, nothing is safe: not just the obvious cigarette smoke and car fumes, but also our toiletries, furniture, house cleaning products, ink on paper receipts, smoke from the pub fireplace, and so on.

Toxins: The danger

'Toxins' is a very abused word. While it is true, according to research, that our world's food (1) and water (2) are more toxic than decades ago, it is also true that we have the liver to help us deal with them. While I believe it is wise to pay attention to our environment and try to reduce our exposure to toxins (simple actions like filtering water can absolutely be beneficial to our health), I don’t believe the terror certain posts, educators and influencers are spreading is useful.

I still remember this day at nutrition college: during a class we were given the suggestion to go home and throw away all pots and pans as most likely made out of something toxic, change all soft furniture that are likely sprayed with toxic fire retardant and to juice the day after to support our liver detoxification (the idea was that being in central London with so much wi-fi and pollution was a toxic overload). I felt terrified as not only was the city I was living in dangerous, but my home was too – no escape route, just doom.

Let me give you another example: drinking from plastic bottles is not the best for your health, as microplastics can leach into the water and add to the toxic load. But what happens if you are out and about, have finished the water in your glass flask, and are incredibly thirsty and at risk of dehydration? I know people who would rather be dehydrated than drink from a plastic bottle bought at a corner store in a moment of need. I don’t think this is healthy. Scrolling on Instagram, I keep being presented with similar posts – how everything is toxic. Even a bubble bath, as anything scented, is toxic.

Those sound like extreme cases, but those are real messages I see day in and day out, which are leaving people fearful of doing the wrong thing for them and their families, leaving them anxious and confused.

What’s the realistic solution?

Not everybody can uproot from a major (very polluted) city to a countryside hamlet where to grow their own vegetables and buy milk from the dairy down the road. The same goes for changing the whole house's soft furniture and installing a water purifier system.

So, what can we do instead? Make small and powerful changes, such as filtering our drinking water as best we can, switching to more natural household cleaning products, and exploring cleaner makeup and personal toiletries brands. Taking into consideration buying no-teflon pans when our existing pans need replacement, and looking into non-toxic paint if we need to redecorate.

Going into panic if we can’t overhaul our lives in a month? No, also because we are not so hopelessly vulnerable to 'toxin attacks'…drum roll…we have the liver that detoxifies us.

The liver's role

Our liver is our main detoxification organ, and while extra alcohol intake (maybe during a celebration or a foodie weekend away) and exposure to extra toxins can add extra workload, the liver doesn’t go on strike – it keeps on working hard 24/7, as it is one of our most resilient organs.

If there aren’t any underlying conditions that hinder and/or overload liver function or excessive and chronic toxic exposure (breathing in toxic fumes all day, excessive drinking, heavy smoking), a balanced, varied diet will be sufficient to support its full function. Key nutrients are B vitamins (consider supplementing if on a plant-based diet or low levels have been assessed by a blood test), as well as healthy fats to promote bile release.

The key takeaway

While being mindful and aware of toxins and toxic overload is a very smart move when trying to support and preserve health, social media alarmism is not. From what I can see, many of the low-tox life posts are connected to affiliate links for programs and/or products – another case where panic is being driven by commercial gain.

Putting effort into finding a balance between your habits and needs and low-tox alternatives is the best way forward. If you want to have a bubble bath to relax, just do it; despite being scented, it won’t send your liver into overwhelm!

References

1 - The intensification and industrialization of food production over the past 50 years have led to several food safety challenges, including the emergence of new food pathogens, adulteration of food materials, unknown effects from long-term consumption of genetically modified foods, and significant levels of chemical contaminants and pollutants in food. Factors contributing to these issues include mass production, increased food imports, and changes in consumer lifestyles, such as a shift toward ready-to-eat and fast foods. Bano & Soomro, 2022, Open reference preview (Bano & Soomro, 2022), Ball, Patil & Soni, 2019, Open reference preview(Ball, Patil & Soni, 2019).

2 - There has been a global increase in the frequency and magnitude of harmful algal blooms (HABs), particularly cyanobacterial blooms (cyanoHABs), over the past several decades, which has led to increased contamination of drinking water with cyanotoxins such as microcystins, cylindrospermopsin, saxitoxins, and anatoxins. Donnelly et al., 2022, Open reference preview (Donnelly et al., 2022), Tripathi, Bhallamudi & Philip, 2026, Open reference preview (Tripathi, Bhallamudi & Philip, 2026), Sharp et al., 2025, Open reference preview (Sharp et al., 2025), He et al., 2024, Open reference preview (He et al., 2024), Fernández-Manteca et al., 2025, Open reference preview Fernández-Manteca et al., 2025).

Exposure to cyanotoxins through drinking water can cause liver damage, neurotoxicity, gastrointestinal illnesses, and skin irritation in humans and animals Donnelly et al., 2022, Open reference preview (Donnelly et al., 2022), Tripathi, Bhallamudi & Philip, 2026, Open reference preview (Tripathi, Bhallamudi & Philip, 2026), Fernández-Manteca et al., 2025, Open reference preview (Fernández-Manteca et al., 2025), Solter & Beasley, 2013, Open reference preview (Solter & Beasley, 2013).