Antioxidants, The Key to the Fountain of Youth
The most important key to preserving your youth is knowing how to protect yourself from free radical damage.
Robert C. Atkins, M.D says, “There are a lot of issues that my colleagues in anti-aging medicine disagree on, but there’s one that has a near unanimous agreement: damage from free radicals is at the heart of aging.”
What are Free Radicals?
Think of a piece of metal that rusts or a piece of apple that goes brown when exposed to air. There is a similar process in our bodies and it is called oxidation.
During the normal metabolism (or breakdown) of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins for energy production, certain unstable molecules are produced.
An atom should have a pair of electrons spinning around them. If an atom only has one electron in its orbit it is very unstable. Chemists call this atom a free radical.
This free radical will try to repair itself by stealing an electron from a neighboring molecule which then causes that molecule to become unstable. It then tries to repair itself by stealing an electron from another molecule and this of course sets up a vicious chain reaction of cellular destruction. A single free radical can cause damage to millions of other molecules in your body, preventing your body from functioning properly!
The process of this damage is called oxidation.
Common Causes of Oxidation
- Cigarette smoke
- Fried and barbecued foods
- Car exhaust
- Prescription drugs
- Radiation
- Air pollution
- Chemicals and additives in your food
- Alcohol
- Daily living (including exercise)
Antioxidants Save the Day
Since some of this oxidation occurs as a result of just plain living, it makes sense that your own body has a way to counteract these oxidants by producing antioxidants.
An antioxidant has the ability to neutralize oxidants (toxins or free radicals) thus protect your cells from being damaged.
I like to use the apple analogy to demonstrate the effectiveness of free radicals.
Take an apple and cut it in half. Squeeze lemon (think of this as an antioxidant) over one side. The air causes oxidation. The one side of the apple without the lemon juice will turn brown. But the one side with the lemon juice (antioxidant) protects the exposed apple.
Your body normally produces its own antioxidants such as Glutathione, which helps fights these oxidants (free radicals) but it requires proper nutrition to make them.
In order for your body to produce Glutathione you need adequate supplies of selenium, B1, B2, B6, vitamin B12, folic acid, vitamin C and vitamin E all of which are found in the Total Health Packs (which is yet another reason to take your Total Health Pack daily).
(To learn more about the Total Health Packs go here http://totalhealthpack.com/benefits/ )
(To purchase a Total Health Pack go here https://hormonerollercoaster.com/store/total-health-pack-daily-essential-nutrients-3/ )
Another excellent way to increase your antioxidant protection is to eat fresh fruit and vegetables (organic is best).
The Balance is Important
You need a balance of oxidation in order to fight infections and do repair work within cells. However, when there is too much oxidation without adequate antioxidant support, your body undergoes what is called oxidative stress.
The Result of Oxidative Stress
When there is too much oxidative stress for prolonged periods, it can take a toll on your entire body. For instance, if oxidants damage DNA, the eventual consequence could be a higher likelihood of cancer.
If the damage occurs in arteries that supply blood to the heart, it could lead to hardening of the arteries and a heart attack.
All these changes lead to disease and premature aging, including wrinkling of your skin.
Supplemental Antioxidants can Assist
I believe first and foremost in eating a wholesome nutritious diet and minimizing your exposure to chemicals. But unfortunately, even our best efforts may cause you to be under oxidative stress.
Free radicals cannot be completely avoided. They are produced as a result of normal functions in your body. This includes both things that are detrimental to your health such as chemical exposure as well as things that are beneficial to your health such as exercise.
Believe it or not, the more you exercise, the more antioxidants you need to combat that oxidative stress. Plus, as you age your body produces fewer and fewer antioxidants.
Since the function of antioxidants is to destroy harmful free radicals, counteracting the damaging of tissues and in effect, treating aging or causing its retardation, I believe that you should add supplemental antioxidants to your daily regime.
What Antioxidants Can Do for Your Health
Antioxidant therapy can be effective against a wide variety of health problems including:
- Alzheimer’s
- Heart Disease
- Cancer
- Arthritis
- Diabetes
- Cataracts
- Glaucoma
- Macular degeneration
Your Insurance Policy
With some nutrients (e.g. magnesium), you can feel almost immediate benefits, but anti-oxidants do not usually work that way. Fortunately, there is a growing body of evidence to support the theory that whether we can experience the difference or not, supplemental antioxidants are protecting every cell in our bodies.
Radiation Protection
For example, new research presented at the 36th annual meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology in Chicago, Ill., revealed the incredible power of antioxidants to protect the body against the damaging effects of radiation.
An antioxidant blend given to patients before a medical imaging exam (e.g. CT scan) visibly reduced DNA damage by as much as 50 percent.
Each Total Health Pack is Loaded with Antioxidants
If you are taking the Total Health Packs (more details HERE), you are already getting antioxidant protection three ways.
#1. Firstly, many of the nutrients found in the Total Health Pack are both critical for your body to function optimally and they also double as antioxidants.
These nutrients are vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin C and the minerals selenium, manganese and zinc.
#2. Secondly, as mentioned above, The Total Health Pack contains the nutrients to help your own body make more glutathione (the master antioxidant).
#3. Thirdly, The Total Health Pack contains an even more potent antioxidant known as Green Tea Extract.
Thanks to huge advances in nutritional science, more potent antioxidants such as Lipoic Acid, CoQ10, and Green Tea Extract and more are being discovered.
Why Did We Choose Green Tea Extract for the Total Health Packs?
Most teas contain large amounts of polyphenols, which are plant-based substances that have been shown to have antioxidant, anticancer, and antiviral properties.
Green tea, however, is particularly rich in a type of polyphenols called catechins. These substances have also been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, as well as the ability to reduce body fat accumulation and cholesterol levels.
Green tea has been studied extensively and the results suggest that green tea may be useful for the following health conditions:
- Lowering cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Green tea extract lowers total cholesterol and raises HDL (“good”) cholesterol.
- The prevention of cancer; bladder, breast, ovarian, colorectal, esophageal, lung, prostate, skin, stomach, and pancreatic. Researchers also believe that polyphenols help kill cancerous cells and stop their progression.
- Reducing inflammation associated with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
- Controlling blood sugar in the body. Helping prevent the development of type 2 diabetes and slow the progression once it has developed.
- May help treat viral hepatitis (inflammation of the liver from a virus).
- Protecting the liver from the damaging effects of toxic substances such as alcohol.
- Boosting metabolism and helping to burn fat.
- Benefiting arthritis sufferers by reducing inflammation and slowing cartilage breakdown.
- May also be effective in treating genital warts and preventing symptoms of colds and influenza.
- Fight or even destroy the bacteria (while promoting healthy bacteria growth) that cause cholera, pneumonia, abscesses, botulism, dysentery and food poisoning, as well as those that cause cavities and bad breath.
- Inhibit the action of the flu virus, herpes simplex, polio and HIV, among others.
- Potential therapy regimen for patients with HPV infected cervical lesions.
- Prevent oxidative damage to DNA in the brain cells, reverse mental deterioration, improve memory-related learning and reduce the buildup of the kind of plaque associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
The recommended dosage suggested by the studies is a minimum of 240-320 mg polyphenols from standardized green tea extract daily.
The amount of standardized green tea extract (cathechin polyphenols) in each Total Health Pack is 400 mg.
NOTE: There is a small amount of naturally occurring caffeine in each capsule so if you are hypersensitive to caffeine, you may not be able to take green tea extract.
To learn more about the benefits of the Total Health Packs, go HERE.
To purchase a Total Health Pack go HERE.
Copyright Brenda Eastwood 2018 – “Antioxidants, The Key to the Fountain of Youth.”
MaximumResults@shaw.ca www.BrendaEastwood.com www.TotalHealthPack.com
Would you like to use this article in your E-zine or website? You may, if you include this complete write-up with it: Brenda Eastwood is a holistic health expert who specializes in Women’s Health Issues. Her expertise stems from over 35 years’ experience as a Registered Nutritional Consulting Practitioner. This includes ongoing research, 17 years running a successful private practice, presenting hundreds of seminars and workshops, as well as coaching clients through her unique online Inner Circle program. Today she can reach out to even more women through her Facebook posts and her book “Get off the PMS and Perimenopausal Roller Coaster, Learn 9 Natural Fast Track Solutions to Balanced Hormones”.
For more information on Brenda Eastwood please visit www.BrendaEastwood.com or for information on her Total Health Packs visit www.TotalHealthPack.com
