Antioxidants and Free Radicals

Antioxidants

 

Problem:

As your body ages, the level of naturally occurring antioxidants decreases.

This is why there is a direct proportion between age and disease.

In other words, the older you get, the more likely you are to contract a deadly or debilitating disease. This also explains one of the reasons why we look older as our age increases.

Solution:

Supplement your diet with antioxidants and also use topically applied (rubbed on) antioxidants in your skin care products (but make sure these antioxidants can be absorbed).

 

Problem:

Our modern diet no longer contains enough naturally occurring antioxidants (even if you eat the right foods).

There are many reasons for this:

  • There has been a severe depletion of nutrients from our agricultural soils over the last 50 to 100 years. This has been well documented in many Government reports. Thus, fruits and vegetables grown in these soils no longer contain adequate nutrients.
  • Modern marketing techniques for fruit and vegetables require transport from distant growing regions to centralised retail outlets. In order to avoid damage and spoilage during transport, fruit is picked "green" and artificially ripened at the end point. This does not allow for adequate uptake and production of nutrients (minerals and antioxidants) during the growth and ripening phase.
  • It is a scientific fact that there is rapid breakdown of antioxidants in foods after they have been harvested. Most modern "fresh" fruit and vegetables that are purchased at the supermarket are likely to be well over one week "old" and therefore have only a fraction of their original (already deficient) nutritional content.
  • Genetic modification of food has lead to a number of changes, one of which is the rapid ripening of fruit and vegetables (shortened growth cycle) which in turn does not allow full uptake of minerals and development of antioxidants in your food.

Consequently our modern food is nutritionally inadequate and deficient in antioxidants and minerals.

Solution:

For most people, the best option is to take supplements of vitamins, minerals and other antioxidants. However, you must be sure the supplements are effective because there are numerous consumer reports that many commercial supplements do not contain effective ingredients. You should also eat regular daily meals of organically grown fresh fruit and vegetables. Preferably, grow your own food and eat it soon after harvest.

 

It is irrefutable that taking antioxidant supplements is beneficial. Heart attacks, cancer and vascular disease have been shown to be reduced by using antioxidant supplements. Many other diseases (arthritis, asthma, ADD, diabetes and more) have been reported to exhibit a decrease in symptoms when they are used.

 

Problem

Every health professional agrees that antioxidants, vitamins and minerals are absolutely essential for the human body to function properly. It is acknowledged that Free Radical damage leads to disease and that Antioxidants reduce Free Radical attack.

What is not agreed is whether supplements are necessary.

Many of the health professions advocate the vitamin, antioxidant and mineral supplements be used. However it is generally acknowledged that synthetic vitamins are not as good as natural (in fact synthetic vitamins are generally of no or little value).

However virtually all the health professions agree that antioxidants, vitamins and minerals should be available with an adequate diet. The absorption, uptake and metabolism should be better if these required essentials are in the food we eat.

Unfortunately (as has been pointed out above) most foods we eat are deficient in required vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. Therefore a normal diet does not allow most people to obtain a required daily dose of essential vitamins and minerals.

However it does make sense that the required vitamins and minerals are provided in the food we eat because it allows better absorption and metabolism.  

Solution

Therefore I would advocate that required supplements are whole foods wherever possible and preferably certified organic food.

 

Free Radicals

There is no doubt that the community is being exposed to an ever-increasing free radical attack. That is what "pollution" is, and we are all aware that the world is becoming dangerously polluted. The effect of this increased free radical attack on your body is to increase the rate of disease in the community. This increase is confirmed on a daily basis in regularly published medical and scientific reports. These reports also appear in your daily newspapers and in a variety of health publications.

There are three main areas of concern:

Personal care products

  • skin care,
  • dental care, cosmetics
  • haircare (shampoos particularly)

Household products

  • cleaning products, paints,
  • furniture, furniture glue,
  • carpets, plastics, insulation

Environmental

  • pollution, xenoestrogens
  • agriculture (herbicides and pesticides)

The answer to this problem is to eliminate the harmful ingredients or products that are causing you harm, or at least minimize your exposure to them.