Antioxidants...why We Need Them,
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Simply stated, we need antioxidants to take care of the free radicals in our bodies. It's a dangerous world we live in, environmentally speaking. We have ultra-violet rays, toxins in our water, and hazardous chemicals in our homes, yards, garages and all kinds of pollutants in the air we breathe.
All of which, and more, tend to wreak havoc with our cells, or at least the oxygen molecules in our cells. That's where the "oxidation" comes in.
A free radical, besides being an anarchist that's still on the loose, is an atom, molecule or ion with unpaired electrons or an otherwise open shell configuration. These unpaired electrons are highly reactive and can result in chain reaction damage to other molecules.
It's easier to understand than the definition would suggest. Consider an oxygen atom. It has eight protons in its nucleus so we say it has an atomic number of eight. Eight protons are what make it oxygen.
In its stable state, it has eight electrons, two of which are in its inner shell and six in its outer shell. Think of electron shells as orbits. The eight positively charged protons and the eight negatively charged electrons give it a neutral charge.
When something like one of the toxins mentioned above, comes along and knocks one of those electrons out of the oxygen atoms outer orbit, a free radical has just been created.
Remember, we said it was an atom, molecule or ion with an unpaired electron or open shell configuration. The loss of that outer shell electron means that the oxygen atom now has a positive charge and it wants to react with another atom to regain its neutral charge.
Thus the stage is set for a string of free radical interactions, cell damage and potential mutations.
Oxidation and Anti-oxidation
Oxidation and the production of free radicals happen in our bodies everyday and normally our immune system and natural antioxidants in our food, such as vitamin C and E, take care of them.
The problem is that in today's toxic world, our immune system is rarely working at peak efficiency and not many of us get adequate nutrition from our normal diets.
In simple terms, when a free radical is created in the body and the immune system is not functioning optimally, three things can occur.
If the free radical attacks, that is, reacts with a cell membrane, allergies can occur.
If it reacts with a fat globule that nourishes the cell, the cell dies. This is associated with annoying things like aging and rheumatoid arthritis.
If the free radical attacks the nucleus of the cell, which carries the cell's DNA, we have a mutation and upon reproduction, cancer can develop.
To summarize, a weak immune system combined with a deficiency in nutrients that absorb free radicals are the primary causes of illness.
How Are Free Radicals Eliminated?
Oxidation was described above and it is oxygen radical absorbing nutrients that block the process of oxidation by sponging up free radicals.
By doing this, the antioxidant nutrients themselves become oxidized which is why we need to be continuously replenishing these nutrients in our bodies.
In real graphic terms, you know the movie scene where an enemy grenade plops down in the middle of a group of soldiers and one of them throws his body on it and absorbs the blast thus saving his comrades. The soldier that sacrificed himself for his buddies was like an antioxidant in our body.
Free radical absorbing nutrients benefit us in a couple of ways. Above we alluded to a chain reaction in which a free radical reacts with another atom by stealing one of its electrons.
The theft results in the creation of a second free radical which reacts with another atom or molecule, creating a third free radical and on and on, creating more and more unstable atoms.
The interactions will continue until something stops it; something applies the brakes. The brake will be an substance or chemical that breaks the chain reaction. It is possible that instead of applying the brakes, the reaction just runs out of gas on its own and decays to a non-reactive entity.
The first instance is pro-active, the latter is leaving it to chance and hoping we won't end up with the seed of a tumor. The antioxidant brakes could be vitamin C, E, beta carotene, or any number of phytonutrients.
There are also antioxidant enzymes with big names like superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase that prevent oxidation by slowing down the onset of those chain reactions.
These enzymes work by scavenging free radicals that would otherwise start a reaction sequence. This is a preventative measure in that the antioxidant can stop an oxidation chain reaction before it ever starts.
The effectiveness of a specific antioxidant depends on the type of free radical involved, how and where it is generated, and the location and extent of the damage caused.
So in one instance, an antioxidant may protect against free radicals but in another set of circumstances, have no effect at all. Worse, in certain circumstances, an antioxidant, or its overuse, could even act as a catalyst to generate the reactive oxygen atom or molecule.
Types of Free Radical Absorbing Nutrients
It's not really hard at all to get a good, quality intake of these protective nutrients if we know what to look for, they're everywhere.
Basically, some vitamins have antioxidant capabilities, as do some of the trace minerals and a whole host of phytonutrients have oxygen radical absorbing properties.
Dr. Mercola, who publishes a great newsletter on a whole variety of health issues, recently did a whole, long treatise on the antioxidant capabilities of a spice...turmeric. He believes it to be the best of the best in antioxidants; and he may be right.
Turmeric is an East Indian spice that contains curcumin, which in turn is a phytonutrient phenol.
He lists thirteen benefits that 100% organic turmeric (not the stuff found in your supermarket spice section) provides:
This list was included here to illustrate that the benefits of these substances go far beyond neutralizing free radicals although it is through the minimizing of free radicals that the collateral benefits are realized.
Vitamins
Since each of the vitamins, trace minerals and phytonutrients are unique in their chemical structure, it follows that each will have a different mechanism as to its antioxidant function in our bodies.
Touching on two of the main radical fighting vitamins, first we have vitamin E which is actually a catch-all generic term. It is used to refer to eight chemical compounds that have vitamin E activity, collectively known as tocopherols.
Alpha-tocopherol is the most widely available and has the strongest effect on the body. It is fat-soluble which gives it the ability to protect cell membranes from free radical damage. It was mentioned above that cell membranes are mostly fatty acids and if they are attacked by free radicals, cell death can result.
Next is vitamin C (ascorbic acid) which is a water-soluble vitamin as opposed to the fat soluble vitamin E. Being water soluble, it can neutralize free radicals found in a watery environment, such as the interior of cells. Vitamin C and vitamin E work together to rid the body of free radicals.
Phytonutrients
In addition to curcumin, mentioned above, another important antioxidant phytonutrient is the carotenoid, Beta- Carotene. This is a water-soluble nutrient and is the most widely studied of the 600 carotenoids identified to date. Beta carotene is believed to be the most effective carotenoid in protecting against certain energized forms of oxygen that are particularly toxic to cells.
Trace Minerals
Trace minerals are not antioxidants in themselves but are needed for the production of certain antioxidant enzymes.
Selenium is a trace mineral that we need to consume in only very small quantities, but without which we could not survive. It forms the active site of several antioxidant enzymes including glutathione peroxidase.
Also the trace minerals manganese and zinc form an essential part of various antioxidant enzymes.
Antioxidant Enzymes
Three antioxidant enzymes that comprise the main line of defense against free radicals were briefly mentioned above. They are superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx).
Superoxide dismutase neutralizes a positively charged oxygen atom by adding an electron to its outer shell thus completing its full complement of eight electrons and restoring its neutral charge. The end products of this contributed electron are hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and oxygen (O2). Step two occurs with Catalase and glutathione peroxidase working simultaneously with the protein glutathione to convert (or reduce) the hydrogen peroxide to water.
Then there is a step three where the oxidized glutathione from step two is acted on by another antioxidant enzyme, glutathione reductase and finally balance is restored. What this action does is to repair oxidized DNA, degrade oxidized protein, and destroy oxidized lipids (fat cells). That was just one example.
There are various other enzymes that act as a secondary antioxidant defense mechanism to protect us from further damage. Wow, could all that just be the product of accidental evolution?
Other Anti-Oxidation Nutrients
Besides the enzymes, vitamins, and trace minerals mentioned previously, there are many other nutrients and compounds that appear to have antioxidant properties.
Among them is coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10, or ubiquinone), which is essential to energy production and can also protect the body from destructive free radicals.
Also, uric acid, a product of DNA metabolism, has become increasingly recognized as an important factor in ridding ourselves of free radicals.
Sources of Anti-Oxidant Nutrients
Vitamin E is found in walnuts, peanuts, almonds, seeds, olives, avocado, wheat germ, liver, and leafy green vegetables.
For good sources of vitamin C, look to citrus fruits (like oranges and grapefruit), broccoli, leafy green vegetables, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, cantaloupe, and strawberries. Watch out for interactions with the grapefruit if you are taking certain prescription drugs.
Common sources of beta-carotene include cantaloupe, mangoes, papaya, pumpkin, peppers, spinach, kale, squash, sweet potatoes and apricots.
Selenium is found in seafood, beef, pork, chicken, Brazil nuts, brown rice, and whole wheat bread.
Phytochemicals are found in a variety of sources. Some phytochemicals that are currently under study for their free radical absorbing capacity and ability to reduce the risk of disease are:
Real, organic, non-commercially grown food is always the best source for nutrients but in most locales and most of the time those are hard to come by.
Organic is expensive although well worth it. Small truck garden produce is available seasonally but not usually in the volumes needed to sustain urban communities.
Large corporate farmed produce is plentiful but sorely lacking in nutrients...green harvesting, preservatives, heat processing, chemical pesticides and fertilizers all tend to degrade the nutritional content of food.
Obviously all this is pointing us toward supplementation. Today it is mandatory for optimal health especially in the area of getting rid of free radicals.
There is one antioxidant supplement that stands out above all others but you will have to Contact Me to get the whole scoop on it or use the Consultations Form. Please do!
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