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“Slow Down Aging
and Protect Yourself against
Degenerative Diseases”
Dear Visitor,
Free radicals are a fact of life — you cannot eliminate them — but you can reduce their negative effects on your health, using antioxidants.
(If you already know all about free radicals, you can skip to antioxidants.)
What ARE “free radicals”
and what damage can they cause?
Free radicals are a byproduct of metabolism and other biochemical and biophysical processes that occur in your body. Your body creates free radicals every time you move, eat, breathe, or do anything else. In normal concentrations, they are beneficial to your health as they kill harmful bacteria inside your body’s cells. A healthy body is able to defend itself against possible negative effects of free radicals.
However, free radicals are also formed by pollution, radiation (including that from the sun), fuel emissions, tobacco smoke, and many other environmental factors. Those radicals are absorbed by your body through the skin, inhalation and ingestion.
Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that had lost an electron and had thus become unstable. They try to get that missing electron back by attacking other molecules in your body and stealing electrons from them, thus turning them into … you guessed it … more free radicals!
If this process isn’t stopped early on, it results in a chain reaction, where lots of extra free radicals form. They oxidize healthy cells in your body, similar to rust forming on metals or butter and other fats becoming rancid.
Overtime, free radicals get out of control and damage so many of your body’s cells that it can no longer defend itself effectively and succumbs to aging and disease.
How Free Radicals Cause Aging &
Degenerative Diseases
AND
How Antioxidants Can Come to a Rescue
By weakening your immune system, attacking your body’s healthy cells, and interfering with your body’s functions, free radicals contribute to aging and tens of degenerative diseases. Let’s take a quick look at just a few of them, and then let’s see how antioxidants can help slow down, stop, or reverse the damage.
Aging
While most cells in our bodies are constantly dying and
rebuilding themselves, there are also certain cells and molecules that
stay pretty much constant throughout our lives. The latter include components
of:
• DNA;
• blood vessel walls;
• mucus and fluid around the joints;
• lipids in cell membranes;
• collagen and elastin; and
• proteins and lipids that combine and accumulate as age
pigment.
In a healthy body, cells that die and rebuild themselves suffer less free radical damage than the cells and molecules listed above. The damage is accumulative, which means that the longer you live, the more negative effect of oxidation you may experience in the areas that don’t undergo the constant rebuilding.
This is why, with age, you may develop cancer, atherosclerosis, arthritis, or other old age diseases, your skin may sag and wrinkle, and age spots may appear on it.
If you take good care of your health throughout your life, you may be able to delay the process of aging and avoid many illnesses. If you abuse your body while you are young or middle-aged, you may age prematurely and increase your chances for developing a number of old age diseases.
Free radicals directly contribute to atherosclerosis, which may lead to high blood pressure and a heart attack or a stroke (among other conditions).
Atherosclerosis is caused by plaque accumulating inside the arteries. It’s composed of lipids (LDL cholesterol and triglycerides), white blood cells, calcium, and connective tissue.
Plaque is formed when free radicals oxidize LDL cholesterol as it travels through your arteries, and white blood cells are unable to absorb the oxidized LDL. Overtime, the mass of LDL and white blood cells accumulated in your arteries calcifies and hardens, narrowing the arteries, and thus increasing your blood pressure.
At any time, the plaque may rupture, forming a thrombus (blood clot) that may stop the flow of blood to the organ the artery feeds:
• If this happens in a coronary artery, the affected organ is your heart and you get a heart attack.
• If this happens in a cerebral artery, the affected organ is your brain and you get a stroke.
• There are plenty of other arteries in your body, feeding all the different organs — blood clots can cause failures of any of them.
There are approximately 100 types of cancer, but they all develop in pretty much the same way — a group of cells begins uncontrolled growth, invading and destroying surrounding tissue, and then often metastasizing (invading other tissues and organs).
Some people inherit cancer from their parents — their DNA is programmed to develop cancer. Others acquire it as a result of frequent or excessive exposure to carcinogens, such as tobacco smoke, radiation, and certain chemicals. Many, if not all carcinogens contribute to forming free radicals.
Each time a free radical attacks another molecule, the cell where that molecule belongs is affected. When the cell’s nucleus is attacked, its DNA undergoes mutation and the cell becomes cancerous.
We all have some cancerous cells in our bodies — if their number and size get out of hand, we get cancer. While some types of cancer can be reversed if detected early enough, this disease is responsible for about 13% of all deaths worldwide.
When you consume carbohydrates, your digestive enzymes break them down into glucose and energy. That energy is either used immediately by your muscles and other tissues or organs, or stored in your fat tissue for future use. As a byproduct of this process, free radicals are formed.
As a response to the presence of glucose in your blood, your pancreas produces insulin. Insulin helps transport the glucose and its energy to your muscles, organs and other tissues for immediate use or for storage. The process of insulin production creates more free radicals.
With normal consumption of healthy carbohydrates, the free radicals can be neutralized by special enzymes in your body. However, when you overconsume carbohydrates, especially the “bad” ones, too much glucose needs to be processed and transported, and consequently, too many free radicals are formed. The free radical fighting enzymes become “overworked” and unable to do their job effectively.
Among the many cells that can be damaged by free radicals are the beta cells in your pancreas. When those cells are destroyed, your pancreas loses its ability to produce insulin and you develop type 1 diabetes.
In type 2 diabetes, you become insulin resistant, which makes your beta cells work overtime, creating even more free radicals.
While it is being disputed whether free radicals cause type 2 diabetes itself, they can contribute to many of the complications associated with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, such as impaired immune and nervous systems, poor circulation, damage to eyes and kidneys. These can lead to susceptibility to infections, limb numbness, slow wound healing (often resulting in gangrene and amputation), blindness, kidney failure, and frequently even death.
Arthritis, Asthma and Other Inflammatory Diseases
As free radicals attack your body’s cells, your immune system may respond by sending out cytokines to the affected area to fight off the invasion. However, the pro-inflammatory action of cytokines produces even more free radicals, and the vicious cycle begins. As a result, the affected area becomes inflamed.
• If the inflammation takes place in your joints, you may develop arthritis.
• If the inflammation affects your respiratory system, you may develop asthma or certain allergies.
• Inflammation can occur in any portion of your body, leading to a number of inflammatory or autoimmune diseases, for example, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, appendicitis, dermatitis, and any other disease that ends in -itis.
Mental and Other Neural Illnesses
Mental illnesses are behavioral and cognitive disorders, including dementia (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease), autism, depression, manias, phobias, ADHD, schizophrenia, the list goes on and on. Other neural diseases include migraines, epilepsy, speech and movement disorders (e.g., Parkinson’s disease and cerebral palsy), and many others.
Many different factors can lead to neural disease — some are biophysical, others psychological, others genetic, others yet social or environmental. Free radicals are involved in some of the biophysical processes that occur in our brains and can contribute to both mental and other neural disorders.
Free radicals create chemical reactions that damage brain cells. If free radicals get out of control, cells are damaged faster than they can be repaired. Many years of this oxidative damage can impair the ability of brain neurons to transmit signals between your brain and other parts of your body. This may lead to any of the aforementioned conditions.
What are antioxidants?
An antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation of other molecules. It can be an enzyme manufactured by your body or an essential vitamin that needs to be provided by your diet.
How do antioxidants fight free radicals?
As you already know, free radicals are unstable molecules with a missing electron. On the one hand, they can be very helpful to you by killing bacteria, but on the other hand, when they become too abundant, they can oxidize and damage healthy cells, resulting in premature aging and dozens of degenerative diseases.
Antioxidants donate electrons to free radicals, thus stabilizing and neutralizing them. In the process, antioxidants themselves become oxidized — however, they are capable of binding with each other, forming harmless, stable molecules. In fact, most of them go right back to work and keep neutralizing more free radicals.
By neutralizing free radicals, antioxidants stop the chain reactions that could otherwise cause cell damage. Consequently, antioxidants may help prevent premature aging and degenerative diseases.
Your body manufactures certain enzymes that act as “free radical scavengers” — those are your internal antioxidants.
If you are for the most part healthy and lead a healthy lifestyle — with balanced nutrition, adequate physical activity and rest, low stress levels, adequate coping skills, etc. — your body’s enzymes may suffice in fighting free radicals.
But… how many people do you know who match the above description? Many could be trying, but who is indeed perfect? We don’t know anyone like that, do you?
For all of us imperfect humans, nature and scientists have created other ways to obtain antioxidants — through antioxidant-rich foods and through antioxidant supplements.
What foods provide nutrients
with antioxidant qualities?
As a rule of thumb, the darker and more colorful a food is, the more antioxidant components it contains:
| White/light colored: No or very few |
Dark yellow/orange/red: Average and good |
Dark green/dark blue/purple: Strong and plentiful |
The following chart lists essential nutrients that have antioxidant qualities, their health benefits, and the foods that are richest in each nutrient.
| Nutrient |
Health Benefits |
Food Sources |
| Curcumin |
May help prevent tumors, cancers, arthritis and other inflammatory diseases, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes; supports a healthy cardiovascular system, may help control HIV |
Turmeric |
| Flavonoids (esp. OPCs) |
Support a healthy cardiovascular system, induce mechanisms that help kill cancer cells and inhibit tumor invasion, increase vitamin C levels, support strong collagen |
Berries, red grapes and wine, citrus fruits, ginkgo biloba, green tea, dark chocolate (with a cocoa content of 70% or more), parsley, onions |
| Resveratrol |
In mice: extends life span, prevents cancer and improves athletic performance; there’s little evidence yet of similar benefits for humans, but related research is underway (esp. re. colon, skin and breast cancers) |
Japanese knotweed, red wine, red grapes, mulberries, boiled peanuts |
| Selenium |
Works with vitamin E to protect the immune system, heart, and liver, may help prevent tumor formation, may slow down aging and prevent age spots |
Brewer’s yeast, meat, fish, grains, broccoli |
| Vitamin A (esp. beta carotenes) |
Supports healthy eyes, skin, hair and nails, teeth, skeletal and soft tissue, mucous membranes |
Fish liver oil, liver, green leafy vegetables, orange/red vegetables and fruits, green herbs |
| Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) |
Essential for the growth, repair and maintenance of tissues, cartilage, bones, and teeth, the production of collagen, and the healing of wounds |
Sweet and hot peppers (all colors), berries, tropical fruits, citrus fruits and rinds, dark green vegetables, green herbs, cauliflower |
| Vitamin E |
Protects tissues from damage by free radicals, important in the formation of red blood cells, helps the body use vitamin K |
Cold-pressed vegetable and nut oils, wheat germ oil, soybeans, raw nuts and seeds, nut butters, green leafy vegetables, hot spices |
Notes:
• Excessive consumption of certain vitamins and minerals can cause severe health consequences — never exceed the recommended daily values. Always consult your doctor or a certified nutritionist before you start any supplementation program or drastically change your diet.
• Liver, other organ meats, egg yolks and dairy products are high in cholesterol and saturated fats. Limit consumption to occasional “treats” if you’re heart-healthy, avoid if you have a heart condition.
• Fish (particularly shellfish), dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.) and nuts may cause allergic reactions. Avoid if you know you’re allergic; consult an allergy specialist if you develop a rash or have another adverse reaction; call 911 immediately if you have difficulty breathing.
How to choose an antioxidant supplement
that’s best for you?
Rule #1: Consult your doctor or nutritionist before you start taking any supplement!
Rule #2: Educate yourself and only consider a supplement if information on its ingredients is readily available. Have that information handy when you consult your health care provider.
The following are selected antioxidant supplements that we recommend. Click a supplement’s name to obtain detailed information on its benefits and ingredients.
• Isotonix OPC-3 — a potent, all natural antioxidant composed of extracts from grape seeds, red wine, French maritime pine bark (pycnogenol), bilberries and citrus fruits. The isotonic formula maximizes the absorption of the OPCs (oligomeric proanthocyanidins). |
French Maritime Pine Bark |
• Isotonix Maximum ORAC Formula — another potent, isotonic antioxidant. Contains vitamins C and E, selenium, and extracts or powders from multiple types of berries, as well as plums. In addition to the isotonic format, black pepper extract (Bioperine) further improves bioavailability of the ingredients. Provides 3000 ORAC units per dose.
• Curcumin Extreme — a potent antioxidant that also promotes effective liver detoxification. It contains selenium, turmeric rhizome and root extract (BCM-95), and broccoli seed extract. Although not isotonic, the BCM-95 formula significantly increases the absorption of Curcumin Extreme in comparison to most other available curcumin supplements.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or comments. We appreciate your feedback.
To your health!
Your UnFranchise Customer Care Managers
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