Anti-Oxidants
Question: What exactly are
anti-oxidants, and how do they function in the body?
Answer: Oxygen is obviously
essential for life on earth, including the survival of humans. The utilization
of oxygen does come with a price though. In the process of our use of oxygen,
unstable molecules known as free radicals are created at the cellular level.
These free radicals act in a "chain reaction" fashion, stealing
stable electron partners from other cells, thus launching more free radicals and
instability.
The damage occurring as a result of these compounds
have been associated with over 100 disease processes, including heart disease,
cancer, and aging.
It is estimated that each of the 60 trillion cells
in the human body take 10,000 oxidative "hits" per second! If it were
not for the ability of our bodies to scavenge these radicals, our bodies would
degenerate at an extreme rate.
Antioxidant nutrients play a key role in our ability
to protect against this oxidative damage. The most popular nutrients in this
category are vitamins E & C, along with beta-carotene.
Our bodies also naturally produce antioxidant
compounds such as lipoic acid, Coenzyme Q10, and glutathione. However, recent
research findings have shown that human production of these naturally produced
antioxidants is insufficient for optimal defense against oxidative
damage.
Scientists are also extensively studying plant and
seed production of antioxidants, which protect them from the effects of
sunlight and oxygen. For example, lycopene from tomatoes, polyphenols from
grapes, and lutein from plant sources, have been found to be much more
protective than even vitamin C, when tested in human cells.
It is clear that a plant based diet, along with
supplementation with a multi-nutrient formula containing a well-researched
balance of antioxidant compounds, is an ideal approach to physical wellness and
disease prevention.
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