Most people have heard of antioxidants, but most probably don’t know what they are or what role they play in the body. Before an explanation of antioxidants is given, let’s discuss why we need them in the first place.

Healthy Cells

Our body is constantly producing free radicals. If disease is present in the body, free radicals are also present. However, free radicals are a normal by-product of energy production which is constantly occurring in our body; therefore, the body is constantly producing free radicals. The more free radicals we have, the more oxidative stress occurs.

Free radicals are actually electrons that have escaped from an atom during the process of energy production, thus creating an unstable molecule which can then react with stable molecules and change them into free radicals, setting off a chain reaction. These free Free Radical Cells radicals, if left unchecked, can promote disease and significantly increase the effects of aging.

Free Radicals

“Scientists now believe that free radicals are causal factors in nearly every known disease. By controlling free radicals, antioxidants…influence how fast and how well we age.” -The Antioxidant Miracle, Packer, Colman

Oxidative stress produced from free radicals is the principle cause of both heart disease and cancer. In addition, oxidative free radicals contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, arthritis, stroke, inflammation, cataracts, and nearly all of the diseases and ailments of aging because the principal cause of aging is also free radical oxidative stress!

“New evidence points to a link between environmental poisons and learning disabilities” - U.S. News and World Report

To make matters worse, toxins in the environment cause increased free radical production. Environmental toxins also contribute to, if not cause, ADD and ADHD as well as other cognitive disorders. Today there is virtually no place on planet earth where you can escape the effects of toxins. There are seven billion tons of toxins dumped into the air, the water, and the soil each year in the U.S.

Living on a toxic planet will probably always be a reality and the level of toxins will probably continue to get worse!

There is yet another cause of free radical production that is familiar to all of us. I am speaking of STRESS. Physical, emotional or mental stress is something that affects most people, especially here in the U.S. If you have a spouse, own a house, use a computer, have children, a job, or drive on the public roads you have experienced some level of stress.

Increased stress in your life, leads to the increase of free radicals in your body. The toxic world we live in and the pace at which we live have caused an increased amount of free radical production in our bodies. We cannot handle this excessive amount of oxidative stress and as a result we see all degenerative diseases on the rise in the U.S. According to a Johns Hopkins University. Report in 2000, one-half of all Americans have a chronic disease.

Our first line of defense against free radicals and the oxidative stress they produce is antioxidants. Antioxidants very simply neutralize the effects of free radicals. There are many known antioxidants that benefit man, such as vitamins A, C and E, green tea (if not over processed), lipoic acid, Coenzyme Q 10, glutathione, phytochemicals (nutrients from plants such as flavonoids and indoles), grape skin extract, and many others.

These nutrients do not occur in nature alone and also do not function in the body alone; there are many other minerals and co-factors necessary to act as catalysts for these antioxidants. For example, selenium is a necessary catalyst for vitamin E. Without selenium, you would not get the benefit of vitamin E. A catalyst is like a light switch in that it “turns on” a function. Another example would be zinc, which is a necessary catalyst for vitamins A and C.

Many studies have shown that, unlike “solo” nutrients, combined nutrients provided in a form that mimics natural sources provide particular benefit. The bioavailability of a nutrient (the degree to which a substance becomes available at the physiological site of activity after administration) can be significantly influenced by the presence of other food factors that may enhance or depress its absorption and utilization. We know that dietary antioxidants interact with each other and can have either a synergistic effect in our body or a negative effect. This is particularly important to consider when taking antioxidant supplements.

Products