Antioxidants
Antioxidants play a crucial role in your health. They not only help fight disease, but they can help slow down the aging process.
Antioxidants help neutralize oxidative stress and free radicals, which are the unstable particles produced during the course of normal metabolism. Oxidative stress represents the damage made to a cell through the oxidation process.
Oxidation, in itself, is a very normal process. However, when there are disturbances in the natural oxidation process, such as the attraction of a free radical to another molecule in your body, the results can often lead to toxic effects. These effects include:
- Heart Disease
- Aging
- Cancer
- Arthritis
- Lung Disease
- Fibromyalgia
- Diabetes
- Alzheimer's
- Autoimmune diseases
- Macular Degeneration
What are Free Radicals?
Free radicals are a normal byproduct of regular oxygen molecule metabolism and our bodies do an amazing job at neutralizing them in a normal environment. However, increased exposure to an unhealthy environment will increase the production of free radicals and lead to the issues listed above. So what are some of the most common reasons our bodies' oxygen molecules oxidize themselves into an increased amount of free radicals?
- Air Pollution
- Cigarette Smoking
- Excess Stress
- Radiation
- Excessive Exercise
- Increased Exposure to Sunlight
Antioxidants Linked to Improved Health and Cancer Prevention.
Studies at Harvard Medical School and the Institute of Genetics and Molecular Biology have found that antioxidants may radically reduce the risk not only of heart disease but also of age related illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease. It might also counter the effects of a high-fat diet and even prolong life.**
Antioxidants neutralize free radicals and allow your body to do its business of excreting them safely and without harm. Our bodies already make several different types of antioxidants all on their own. But as our exposure to harmful free radicals in the environment and through our lifestyles increase, our need for outside supplies of antioxidants is vital in the war against aging and degenerative disease. While a good supply of antioxidants come from natural sources like healthy food, we also need to supplement those sources.
