Overview

Foods are substances that contain essential nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates , and minerals to provide energy and maintain life. Chemical compounds are a major part of dairy and pharmaceutical industries. Household products containing chemical compounds are used daily. Industrial chemicals and environmental pollutants are present in the air and rivers. Humans are constantly exposed to these foreign compounds (xenobiotics). A large number of foreign compounds that find their way into the body are lipophilic (fat soluble) in nature. Unlike hydrophilic substances that are soluble in water, lipophilic compounds are nonpolar, insoluble, or have low solubility in water, which require conversion into water soluble compounds before they are eliminated and excreted from the body. The elimination of foreign compounds to which humans are exposed involves activation and detoxification mechanisms, which are important defenses that help humans.