Your Liver, Your Genes, and the Detox Puzzle: Why One-Size-Fits-All Doesn’t Work
If you’re navigating chronic fatigue, rashes, brain fog, anxiety, or strange reactions to foods or supplements—there’s a good chance your liver is involved. For many people dealing with mould exposure, these symptoms are part of a bigger detox picture, and the missing piece might be sitting quietly in your genes.
Your liver isn’t just filtering wine on a Saturday night. It’s your project manager, responsible for breaking down mould toxins, excess hormones, environmental chemicals, and even neurotransmitters. But what if your liver isn’t equipped to do the job efficiently? That’s where genetic variants come in—and they might explain why you feel worse when you try to detox or why you’ve been misdiagnosed with anxiety, autoimmune disease, or even IBS.
Meet Your Liver: The Body’s Project Manager
Think of your liver as a factory supervisor—it directs thousands of chemical processes every day to keep you safe. It filters your blood, processes toxins, creates bile to digest fats, manages hormone levels, and even helps with nutrient storage. But even the best project manager will burn out if the systems below it aren’t working.
This is where things get personalised. Your liver's ability to detox and regenerate is deeply influenced by your genetics, which determine how fast or slow certain detox pathways run.
How Genetics Affect Liver Detox
Most of us weren’t taught that detoxification has two key phases—and your genes determine how each one performs:
Phase 1: This phase transforms toxins into reactive intermediates—sometimes more harmful than the original substance.
Phase 2: This phase neutralises those intermediates and packages them up for elimination.
If Phase 1 is fast but Phase 2 is sluggish, your body becomes a toxin traffic jam. This is common in people with mould-related illness, multiple chemical sensitivity, histamine intolerance, and fatigue.
Key Genetic Variants that Impact Your Liver:
MTHFR (Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase)
Affects methylation, a process vital for detox, mood, and immune balance.
MTHFR variants can impair your ability to convert folate into its usable form.
Linked to fatigue, fertility issues, mood disorders, and autoimmune risk.
Referenced by Dr. Ben Lynch, who describes MTHFR as “one of the most clinically relevant genes affecting health outcomes” in Dirty Genes.
GST (Glutathione S-Transferase)
Vital for glutathione recycling—your master antioxidant.
Mutations can impair your ability to clear mould toxins and chemicals.
Referenced by Dr. Neil Nathan, mould illness expert, in Toxic.
CYP450 Enzymes
These regulate Phase 1 liver detoxification.
Certain polymorphisms can slow or accelerate detox—explaining why some people feel great on coffee and others get jittery and wired.
Fast Phase 1 + slow Phase 2 = inflammation and symptoms like anxiety or skin issues.
COMT (Catechol-O-Methyltransferase)
Clears out dopamine and oestrogen.
Slow COMT can lead to mood swings, PMS, anger bursts, and poor stress recovery.
Referenced by Dr. Carrie Jones, hormone expert.
DAO (Diamine Oxidase) & HNMT
These break down histamine, which can build up from food, gut bacteria, or mould.
Variants here lead to histamine intolerance: headaches, rashes, insomnia, flushing after food.
Liver Dysfunction and Chronic Illness
When detox pathways get overwhelmed or underperform due to genetic variants, your body may trigger an immune response—leading to chronic inflammation and potentially autoimmune issues.
Conditions commonly linked to poor liver detox:
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
Psoriasis and eczema
Rheumatoid arthritis
Endometriosis and PCOS
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME)
Fibromyalgia
POTS
MCAS (mast cell activation syndrome)
CIRS (chronic inflammatory response syndrome)
Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker, pioneer in mould-related illness, identifies poor detox and immune dysregulation as core features of CIRS. His research highlights the importance of bile flow, toxin binding, and liver drainage as pillars of treatment.
Not All Supplements Are Created Equal (Especially for Your Genes)
If you’ve ever tried a “liver detox” supplement and felt worse, you’re not imagining it. Many popular supplements push Phase 1 detox hard without supporting Phase 2 or drainage pathways—leaving you stuck with circulating toxins.
Helpful Liver Support Supplements The Experts Mention:
Milk Thistle – Mild antioxidant, may support liver cell regeneration (avoid if histamine intolerant).
Methylated B12 + Folate – Essential if you have MTHFR variants. Start low to avoid “methyl trap” symptoms like anxiety.
Glutathione (liposomal) – Key for people with GST mutations. Best taken with antioxidant co-factors like selenium or NAC.
TUDCA – Supports bile flow and liver drainage. Mentioned in Dr. Jess Peatross’s protocols for patients with liver stress or sluggish gallbladders.
Castor Oil Packs – Topical support for liver and lymphatic drainage, often used in functional medicine detox programs.
What If It’s Not Mould? The Bigger Liver Picture
Even if you’re not dealing with mould exposure, your liver may still be overburdened. In fact, liver dysfunction is on the rise—often under the radar until damage becomes obvious.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the number of Australians living with chronic liver conditions is increasing, especially in adults aged 35 to 54. Many liver issues develop silently in your 20s and 30s—especially for women dealing with hormonal fluctuations, stress, and medications.
Other Causes of Liver Overload:
Hormonal changes (e.g. postpartum, perimenopause)
Viral infections (like Epstein-Barr)
Medications (e.g. paracetamol, antibiotics, antidepressants)
Alcohol or sugar overconsumption
High toxin exposure (e.g. pesticides, air pollution)
Poor gut health (constipation, SIBO, dysbiosis)
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)
Genetic detox mutations (even without known illness)
Early Warning Signs Your Liver Might Be Struggling
Waking between 1am–3am (linked to liver in Chinese medicine)
PMS or worsening period symptoms
Fluid retention, puffiness, or cellulite
Headaches or migraines
Skin rashes or unexplained itching
Sensitivity to alcohol, caffeine, or perfumes
Fatigue that doesn’t improve with rest
Anxiety, mood swings, or irritability
Difficulty losing weight or unintentional gain
Supporting Your Liver, Your Way
The takeaway? Your liver isn’t just “detoxing toxins.” It’s balancing your hormones, managing your moods, and keeping inflammation in check.
Whether you're:
Navigating mould recovery
Rebuilding post-baby
Battling autoimmune flares
Or just tired of being tired...
Understanding your genetic blueprint helps take the guesswork out of healing.
At Mould Wellness, we recommend starting with a quality home-based genetic test to check for key liver and detox gene variants. It’s not essential, but it can speed up your path to recovery. Take the test now!
Final Word
Your liver is doing everything it can to keep you balanced, but if you’ve been exposed to mould, overwhelmed by stress, or unknowingly working against your own genetics—it might need more personalised support. We always recommend seeking medical advice and starting slow.
Remember—you’re not broken, you’re bio-individual. Let your healing be led by understanding, not intensity.