Effect of diet on the metabolism and toxicology of drugs.

The human organism is continuously exposed to a variety of xenobiotics, as drugs, pesticides, food additives and many environmental contaminants, all of which are potentially toxic. The body metabolizes these highly reactive chemicals to pharmacologically-inert compounds, which are readily eliminated from the body. This process of deactivation is dependent on nutritional status. Malnutrition, almost invariably, leads to a reduced capacity to deactivate these exogenous materials with consequent increase in toxicity.