Power of Antioxidants: September 2008

Keeping Illnesses at Bay with Antioxidant Vitamins

Antioxidant vitamins perform many important tasks that our bodies benefits from. In recent years, a great deal of research has been done concerning the abilities of the antioxidant vitamins to prevent certain diseases, ranging from cancer to heart ailments.

One of the many important tasks that antioxidant vitamins perform is that of bringing free radicals under control. But before we get ahead of ourselves, what are free radicals actually? A free radical is an unstable molecule, operating within the much larger context of a cell. Missing an electron is actually the reason why a free radical is unstable. Electrons are a part of a system that enables chemical reactions within the body. Chemical and electrical actions and reactions are the basis of whatever’s going on inside our bodies.

The splitting of a structure that is caused by the weakening of the body’s metabolism or outside factors such as pollution or cigarette smoking constitutes to the missing electron in a free radical. Thus, the free radical attacks other molecules seeking its missing part which leads to converting other molecules into free radicals as well. This should never be taken lightly because just the right amount of free radicals in the body could actually damage our cells and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Antioxidant vitamins have the power to bring these free radicals under control. They do this by meeting the free radicals’ most basic needs, by giving them the electrons they need to be stable. In result, we end up with a healthy body which is free from all these free radicals that are out to destroy our cells and our overall healthy well-being.

The primary antioxidant vitamins are Vitamin E, Vitamin C and Vitamin A. These antioxidant vitamins actually have the power to act as “stand alone” catalysts for a healthier you therefore free radicals prove to be of no match for them. More importantly, these antioxidant vitamins can actually help us get rid of these free radicals that may eventually cause us our healthy well-being.

Various studies have found that the antioxidant vitamins may offer protection against a variety of cancers. While other studies have associated antioxidant vitamins to helping lower blood pressure. To be able to control the growth of free radicals in our bodies through the help of antioxidant vitamins has actually some added benefits as well, aside from the ability to lower the risks of catching an illness or disease as well as helping to prevent and cure cancer, antioxidant vitamins will also help regulate the “signs of aging” in a person by helping one to stay radiant and youthful-looking.

Antioxidant vitamins clearly has a lot of benefits, from helping prevent cancer, diabetes and heart diseases, antioxidant vitamins is an important part of our daily nutritional intake and must always be kept at its prescribed levels in order to keep illnesses and diseases at bay. Dietary supplements actually offer a safe and convenient means of meeting the suggested daily intake of antioxidant vitamins as prescribed by your doctor. Always remember to do everything in moderation so as to be able to maintain a healthy well-being. An excess of antioxidant vitamins (or of anything for that matter) cannot be good for anyone’s health. The chemical balance that allows the body to stay in tip, top shape can be seriously disrupted when antioxidant vitamins as well as other nutrient supplements are taken in at dangerous levels. Seek out the advice of a licensed nutritionist or your family physician in order to be properly guided on the correct dosage that’s most suitable to your individual dietary needs and health goals.

by: Charlene J. Nuble

Glutathione - Your Brain's Master Antioxidant Defense

Part 3

Alcohol Consumption and Glutathione

Alcohol abuse is known to impair memory and other brain functions and increase brain cell death. A new study in rats has shown that alchol consumption causes fewer new brain cells to form and results in greater cell death.

But rats that were fed alcohol along with Ebselen - a glutathione peroxidase mimic that acts as a free radical scavenger - showed no similar reduction in brain-cell formation and no increase in cell death.

Substances that Boost Glutathione Levels and Protect Brain Cells

Taking glutathione itself as a supplement does not boost cellular glutathione levels, since it breaks down in the digestive tract before it reaches the cells.

However, intravenous glutathione therapy and glutathione precursors or dietary supplements are effective in boosting intracellular levels of glutathione.

Intravenous Glutathione Injections : Intravenous glutathione injections have been shown to produce amazing and rapid results, in patients with Parkinson's disease. Following even a single dosage of intravenous glutathione, many of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease rapidly improve, often in as little as 15 minutes.

Glutathione Precursors : In the Alzheimer's study conducted by Welsh GP, Andrew McCaddon, adding the glutathione precursor, N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) to a protocol that lowered homocysteine levels by simple supplementation with B12 and folate, resulted in prompt, striking, and sustained clinical improvement in nearly all the patients.

Cucurmin (turmeric) : Studies have shown that the Indian curry spice, cucurmin, has neuroprotective effects because of its ability to induce the enzyme, hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1), which protects neurons exposed to oxidant stress. Treatment of brain cells called astrocytes, with curcumin, increases expression of HO-1 protein as well as glutathione S-transferase.

Ebselen : Ebselen is a glutathione peroxidase mimic and potent synthetic antioxidant that acts as a neuroprotective agent and an inhibitor of free-radical induced apoptosis (cell death). It can protect brain cells from the neuro-toxic effects of alcohol consumption.

Undenatured Whey Protein : Undenatured whey protein provides glutathione precursors, has been shown to raise intracellular glutathione levels in clinical trials, and has anecdotally been reported to improve the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

by Priya F Shah

They Produce Damaged Molecules Called Free Radicals

Get back to the basics - eat fresh at home and neutralize free radical oxidation, which is rusting away your body, by eating a variety of foods high in antioxidants every day.

Why ? Antioxidants, as the name implies, help prevent oxidation, may help increase immune function and possibly decrease risk of infection and cancer.

A few of the better known antioxidants include carotenoids the substance that gives fruits and vegetables their deep rich colors. Apricots, broccoli, pumpkin, cantaloupes, spinach and sweet potatoes, are some good choices in addition to lycopene in tomatoes. Vitamin C and E are also good antioxidants.

What's a Free Radical Anyways ?

As cells function normally in the body, they produce damaged molecules called free radicals. These free radicals steal parts from other molecules such as fat, protein, or DNA, thereby spreading the damage.

This damage continues in a chain reaction, and entire cells soon become damaged and die. This process is useful because it helps the body destroy cells that have outlived their usefulness and kills germs and parasites. However, this damage, when left unchecked, also destroys or damages healthy cells.

Antioxidants help prevent widespread cellular destruction by willingly donating their parts to stabilize free radicals. More importantly, antioxidants return to the surface of the cell to stabilize rather than damage other cellular components.

When there are not enough antioxidants to hold cell destruction in check, free radicals begin damaging healthy cells which, in turn, can lead to problems. For example, free radical damage to immune cells can lead to an increased risk of infections.

Your body needs to be able to repair this damage that occurs and protect itself from the free radicals before they impact your overall health. This is where antioxidants come to the rescue, because they significantly delay, inhibit, or prevent oxidation.

Your first line of defence is a natural diet full of a variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. For all those times when your diet isn't perfect, make sure you have a safety net in place. Think of antioxidants as Rustoleum for your insides! and be sure to have a supplement in your medicine cabinet.

by Glenn Beach

Activates Antioxidant Glutathione for Protection of Cells

Selenium is a type of trace mineral which supports healthy activity within your immune system, functions as an important part of the potent antioxidant glutathione, and is necessary for good thyroid health. This formula uses SelenoPure high, yeast free selenium for ultimate immune support.

Selenium and Glutathione

Our bodies use Selenium to produce glutathione peroxidase, which is a part of the body's natural antioxidant defense system, manufactured in the liver. Some glutathione is released into the bloodstream, where it helps to maintain the integrity of red blood cells while protecting your immune systems white blood cells and contributing to the body’s natural defense.

Research Suggests that Selenium Supports Immune Health

Selenium is a requirement for a well-functioning immune system, and in a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers investigated the effects of beta-carotene and selenium supplementation in patients who had deficiencies of selenium and vitamin A.

The researchers concluded that glutathione plays an important role in the natural enzymatic defense system in detoxifying hydrogen peroxide in water, therefore selenium supplementation could be of great interest in protecting cells against oxidative stress.

by Jeremy Maddock

What are Free Radicals actually ?

One of the many important tasks that antioxidant vitamins perform is that of bringing free radicals under control. But before we get ahead of ourselves, what are free radicals actually ? A free radical is an unstable molecule, operating within the much larger context of a cell. Missing an electron is actually the reason why a free radical is unstable. Electrons are a part of a system that enables chemical reactions within the body. Chemical and electrical actions and reactions are the basis of whatever’s going on inside our bodies.

by Charlene J. Nuble

Add a Lean, Muscular Body to the List of Benefits!

I’m sure by now you’ve heard all about the amazing health benefits of antioxidant rich foods in your diet. Not only do these free-radical fighting antioxidants help you look and feel younger by slowing down the aging process, but they also help to prevent cancer, heart disease, and loads of other degenerative diseases. But that’s not all. Antioxidants also help you to recover better from exercise and that means more muscle and less fat on your body in the long run!

The function that antioxidants play in aiding your recovery from exercise is the inhibition of free radicals produced during exercise. Any time you workout, free radicals are produced in the body that damage muscle tissue. Having an adequate supply of antioxidants about an hour or so before your workout can greatly reduce the muscle damage caused by free radicals, hence, improving your muscular recovery from exercise.

Some of the most potent sources of whole food antioxidants are berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, cranberries), cherries, acai fruit, various teas (green tea, white tea, black tea, and red tea - a.k.a. rooibos tea), nuts, seeds, red and black beans, purple potatoes, grapes, red wine, cinnamon, and dark chocolate or cocoa. Don’t be fooled by all of the intense marketing for expensive antioxidant supplement pills remember whole foods are always better for you (and cheaper) than a pill.

My favorite pre-workout antioxidant-loaded snack is a piece of whole grain toast with almond butter, a small amount of blackberry jam, and topped with a pile of fresh blueberries or sliced strawberries. I wash it down with a glass of iced green tea or rooibos tea sweetened with just a small bit (about a teaspoon) of raw honey. This is literally a quintuple-whammy of potent anti-oxidants! The almond butter, blackberry, blueberries, raw honey, and the green or rooibos tea are all loaded with different varieties of muscle protecting, youth promoting antioxidants. I throw down this snack about an hour before my training. Give it a try for yourself, or be creative and come up with your own antioxidant-rich pre-workout snack based on your tastes.

Remember, your body is continually bombarded every day by free radicals (creating oxidative stress) from exercise, air pollution, smoke, sun exposure, junk food, exposure to chemicals, etc. To reap the full benefits of antioxidants, try to make sure that every meal and snack you eat has at least one or two sources of antioxidant rich foods. This will give you a continuous supply of antioxidants throughout every day to prevent damage from the free radicals you are constantly exposed to.

Antioxidants are just one piece to the puzzle of a healthy diet that will give you the lean, muscular, youthful, and disease-free body that everyone wants. To discover the secrets behind all of the other pieces to the diet puzzle that create a lean body (macronutrient profile, glycemic response, hormonal response, glycogen storage, muscle protein synthesis, the role of leptin, the insulin process, etc.).

by Michael Geary

How Are Antioxidants Linked to Anti-Aging ?

Antioxidants have been widely praised in the media. Many know they are linked with anti-aging properties. However this is not new, it all began with one man’s theory a half a century ago about how free radicals were associated with aging, and science has been trying to catch up with it ever since.

As Dr. Nicholas Perricone, M.D., states in his 2001 book, “The Wrinkle Cure”: “When it comes to aging, it’s not Father Time that’s public enemy number 1. It’s the very busy, very nasty little molecule called the free radical.”

The Free Radical Theory of Aging was published by Denman Harman in 1956. He theorized that aging is a result of free radical damage of the cells of the body. This is also called oxidative stress.

Today, a great deal of experimental evidence supports the premise that length of life is determined by the crucial balance of antioxidants with free radicals in the body. Oxidative stress is being shown to be at the root of disease and aging.

One example is that the life of the fruit fly was up to 30% longer when it was genetically altered with an addition of enzymatic antioxidants. Not only that, but the altered fruit flies also showed a reduced amount of age-related oxidative damage.

Studies of humans have also shown evidence of free radical damage playing a large part in human aging. One 1996 study compared markers of free radical damage in the blood and found evidence of the highest oxidative damage associated with the disabled elderly, an intermediate amount with the healthy elderly, and the lowest levels with the healthy adults.

The study also found that higher blood levels of antioxidant Vitamins C and E were associated with less disability, and signs of free radical damage were associated with more disability.

We need to rethink our concept of aging. We accept disease, disability, senility, wrinkles, and all the other many signs of aging as natural. Instead, we should view this as ‘unsuccessful aging’ – ie., aging associated with deterioration, disease and disability.

Successful aging is what happens when the human body is able to fight off oxidative stress, and continue to regenerate and repair itself. Successful aging is getting older healthily, without significant pathological conditions.

What the evidence is telling us is that it is crucial we take antioxidants and free radicals very seriously if we want to ‘age gracefully’ and avoid the many pitfalls of ‘unsuccessful aging’.

Even young people can be victims of unsuccessful aging, if they are not providing their bodies with the necessary balance of having have enough dietary antioxidants to fight off the free radicals.

In our modern culture, many of us are guilty of not getting adequate nutrition. It’s ironic, when we are the richest we have ever been that we should be feeding our bodies so poorly.

An interesting example of how a person can seriously damage their body with the wrong diet was seen in the Documentary ‘Super Size Me’ by Morgan Spurlock who ate only McDonald’s for a month. In just 30 days of having a junk food diet as his sole source of nutrition, his health was spiraling downwards and out of control.

The fact that he gained 25 pounds in a month was the least of his worries. He experienced a toxic liver, a significant increase in cholesterol, headaches, depression, a lower sex drive and poor skin. He returned to normal after his experiment ended.

Unfortunately a great many of us continue to do damage to our bodies, by smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee, eating junk food, and not eating our vegetables. When the media began warning us of free radicals, many of us did not understand the massive damage we were causing our bodies or how to prevent it, especially as most of the signs of damage are invisible until it is too late.

Free radical damage is accumulative and spreads like wildfire over time. Do your body a favor. Feed it a diet rich in antioxidant nutrition. Make it a habit, eat your fruits and vegetables, take your vitamins, and try to stop or cut down on damaging bad habits. You will thank yourself in 20 years.

Use antioxidants wisely to age successfully. Maybe like the fruit fly, you too can live 30% longer.

by Carina MacInnes

We are exposed to huge amounts of free radicals from pollution, and pesticides

Did you know that when we breath oxygen, it interacts with certain molecules in our bodies to create free radicals and that these free radicals damage important cellular structures such as DNA and cell membranes ? Well, it is true and this damage may cause cells to function poorly and mutate. Free radical damage may lead to disease and aging.

We are exposed to huge amounts of free radicals from pollution, and pesticides. Every time you breathe, you take in millions of free radical molecules created by cigarette smoke, radiation, and automobile emissions. Every time you eat, you consume free radicals in the form of pesticides and preservatives.

This is where antioxidants come in. Our bodies have a natural defense system against these free radicals. Our immune system creates antioxidants which are able to neutralize free radicals and prevent much cellular damage. We also need antioxidants from other sources such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, some meat, poultry and fish.

I bet you may recognize these antioxidants : vitamin E, C and beta carotene (a form of vitamin A. Others include luetin, lycopene, magnesium, and zinc.

There has been much talk about antioxidants preventing heart disease which is so deadly that it results in an average of 1 death every 34 seconds. The American Heart Association says, ?Oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad") cholesterol is important in the development of fatty buildups in the arteries. This process, called atherosclerosis (ath"er-o-skleh-RO'sis), can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Increasing evidence suggests that LDL cholesterol lipoprotein oxidation and its biological effects can be prevented by using antioxidants - both in the diet and in supplements.? In 1993, Harvard University researchers reported that supplemental doses of vitamin E actually reduced the risk of heart disease by as much as 54 percent!

And what effects can antioxidants have on the big ?C? word? This is a question that all of us are dying to know since one American in every three living today will get cancer, and one in four will die from it. The National Cancer Institute says, ?Considerable laboratory evidence from chemical, cell culture, and animal studies indicates that antioxidants may slow or possibly prevent the development of cancer. However, information from recent clinical trials is less clear.? Selenium, an antioxidant mineral can help protect against breast cancer. One expert, Dr. Gerhard Schrauzer of the University of California at San Diego, stated, "If every woman in America started taking selenium supplements or had a high-selenium diet, then within a few years the breast cancer rate in this country would drastically decline. And according to a study by Dr. Larry Clark of the University of Arizona, 200 micrograms daily of selenium cut the rate of prostate cancer by 69% and lung cancer by 34%.

So clearly antioxidants are important for all of us to strengthen and protect our immune systems and to help guard against disease. Antioxidants may even help us live longer. The theory is that if free radical damage causes aging, antioxidants in high enough quantities should be able to slow aging. This theory is advanced in one California study of people aged 50 or older, where it was found that those " with a higher intake of vitamin C were found to have a total death rate only 40% of that for those with the lower intake of C. This decrease in the death rate corresponds to an increase by eleven years in the length of life." Even small doses of vitamin C can help. According to one UCLA study only 300 milligrams a day can add 6 years to a man's life and two years to a woman's life.

Antioxidants are made naturally by your body but supplementation from food or other sources is needed. The highest concentrations of antioxidants are found in the most deeply or brightly colored fruits and vegetables such as spinach, red bell peppers, raspberries, carrots, apricots, pomegranates, and tomatoes.

by Scarlet S. Paolicchi

How the Acai Berry Antioxidant Gets so Much Antioxidant Power

Many fruits and vegetables are rich in polyphenols (antioxidants), anthocyanins (the darker pigment in foods), and tannins (ability to tan). Why are the antioxidant properties of Acai so much higher than the what tests find in any other common food?

When considering how plants use up energy to produce antioxidant compounds in the first place the answer becomes quite obvious.

Plants produce and use antioxidants to handle stress. Then one asks, what kind of powerful forms of stress does a berry like the one from an Acai palm endure, especially the kinds that give it such an unusually high antioxidant capacity? The Amazonian Acai Palm grows to an exceedingly tall height all along the Amazon River basin and its rivulets and tributaries, very close to the Earth's equator. In fact, the only time this palm needs shade is during it's early growth stage. Once the Acai plant matures and starts to grow it can then begin to constantly endure the sun's intense ultraviolet radiation.

As the Acai palm attains it's maximum height of nearly 100 feet or more, it becomes an integral portion of the forest canopy, or roof. The development of astonishing antioxidant characteristics of plant by-products is particularly evident in the low areas, near rivers and their tributaries, such as along Brazil's coastal swamps, for example. Keep in mind that extended periods of seasonal flooding occurs in swamps.

Typically, if a food crop like corn remains under water for more than a few days, it will always die. This is a condition called anoxia, or "lack of oxygen", which is responsible for these plants dying off so quickly. Anoxia is clearly an example of a stressful condition, which can easily kill a plant when it happens for even a short time.

Now most plants cannot survive without oxygen very long, but the Acai palm can last for weeks and even months during anoxia caused by flooding. It's thought that this survival mechanism is possible as oxygen transfer takes place from it's leaves (above the water) into the roots (under water). Amazingly, the Acai berry palm has also developed the capacity to create energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in its cells without the presence of oxygen.

As the root system in the Acai palm is transferring oxygen, other forms of non-oxygen dependent growth and processing is occurring at the same time. Rice is another example of this type of plant that also carries on this type of metabolizing. This is why rice is able to grow under water in paddies. Hence, Acai is not just another ordinary palm tree, but one that has evolved over time to be able to handle all sorts of severe climates, geologic challenges and the enviromnental stresses caused by flooding.

This type of resilient adaptation and the building up of antioxidants to handle these stresses ends up in the products the plant grows - Acai berries. These Acai Berries loaded with Antioxidants are undoubtedly beneficial to those that consume them.

You can get the most from Acai, but only as Freeze Dried Acai.

by Voltolio

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