Anti-Aging and You!
We are a product of our environment and must be realistic in knowing that the environment is not pure and because of the basic instinct of greed, we are living in a polluted world. The people who live the longest, exist in the high mountains where the air is not polluted, the water is full of healthy minerals and the food is free of synthetic chemicals. In the polluted world, we must recognize that polluted air, water and food produce free radicals and pathogenic germs that cause us to prematurely age with diseases and pain. For those of us that live in the chemical world, we can live 20 years or more longer, if we prevent free radicals and pathogens from shortening our life. Anti-aging depends on fighting free radicals and pathogens. Conventional medicine may let us live 20 years longer, but with the expectation of suffering. Fortunately, the choice is ours.
ANTIOXIDANTS:
Antioxidants are chemicals that defuse free radicals and other biologically damaging molecular fragments in the body.
They consist of nutrients such as Beta-Carotene, Coenzyme Q10, Selenium, Vitamin C and Vitamin E are well known for their antioxidant properties.
Antioxidants are found in a full-range of fruits and vegetables, as well as in some meat, like fish. However, fruits and vegetables are the key source of antioxidants.
Although, our bodies produce its own antioxidants, the level of product declines over time because of environmental factors and through the aging process.
ANTIOXIDANT THEORY — HOW THEY WORK:
Free Radicals
As part of the normal cell function, cells make toxic molecules called free radicals.
Free radicals are damaged molecules-molecules that are missing electronics
Free radicals are regarded as the primary force of destruction in nearly all-living things.
Free radicals take electrons from other non-damaged molecules. By doing so, the free molecules damage the cell.
As cell damage continues, it contributes to certain diseases and aging.
Free radicals can cause cancer, diabetes, cataracts, cardiovascular disease and wrinkles.
THE BENEFITS OF ANTIOXIDANTS:
Slowing Down Oxidation
Antioxidants are good at slowing down the oxidation process.
When oxidation occurs in food, fatty acids undergo chemical changes
Fatty acids are also found in the blood, which can undergo similar chemical changes, as does food.
Mental Decline Resulting From Aging
A study published by the Journal of Neuroscience showed that rats fed antioxidant-rich strawberries and spinach had better memories and slower decline of nerve cells functions than rats fed a standard diet.
Most of us knows that we need to consume more fruits and vegetables than meats. Fruits and vegetables plays an important role in protecting against and possibly reversing the cognitive declines seen from aging.
Free radical destruction is said to be a key factor to a decline in memory and motor performance seen in aging.
The brain is especially vulnerable because it is relatively deficient in antioxidants to begin with.
WHICH ANTIOXIDANTS ARE BEST THEN?
Two general types of antioxidants work together to protect the cells and tissues of our bodies. One type protects the aqueous (watery) portion of the tissues and the other the hydrophobic, or lipid (fatty) component. The aqueous environment is protected by vitamin C, and at least two additional antioxidants produced by tissues, glutathione and thioredoxin. Cell membranes are protected by the lipid-soluble antioxidants, including vitamin E, and the ubiquinols (CoQ10). Another antioxidant, alpha lipoic acid, is unique in that it can enter and protect both lipid and water environments.
When vitamins C and E react with and neutralize a free radical, the oxidized or spent vitamins are converted back to the reduced or recharged, active form. Vitamin C can donate electrons to oxidized vitamin E and convert the E back to its active state, leaving vitamin C oxidized. Vitamin C, in turn, can be recharged after reacting with glutathione or the more potent antioxidant, alpha lipoic acid.
The most versatile antioxidant in the cell is alpha lipoic acid. It is one of the more potent antioxidants, owing to its property of being the most easily oxidized. Alpha lipoic acid is the foundation of an antioxidant network involved in the conversion of the spent or oxidized forms of four different cellular antioxidants back to their active protective forms. The obvious questions, then, are how lipoic acid is regenerated and whether this process ever ends.
The answer lies in the unique property of lipoic acid, its solubility in both water and lipid. Lipoic acid can be converted from its oxidized state to its reduced state with the aid of a mitochondrial enzyme (the organelle within the cell where energy is produced). Unlike vitamins C and E, the cell has machinery specifically designed for the regeneration of reduced lipoic acid. Therefore, lipoic acid can itself react with and neutralize free radicals in addition to recycling vitamins C and E (as well as CoQ10, glutathione and thioredoxin). This is critical, since each antioxidant has a unique function. The conclusion, then, is that all of these antioxidants are required for optimal cellular health.
FOODS HIGH IN ANTIOXIDANTS:
Beta-carotene — Found in dark green, dark yellow and orange vegetables and fruits.
Selenium — Found in meats, fish, cereal, dairy products, Brazil and some other nuts.
Vitamin C - Found in orange juice, kiwi, grapefruit, strawberries, watermelon, green peppers, cauliflower and broccoli.
Vitamin E - Can be found in mayonnaise, margarine, salad dressing, sunflower seeds, almonds, cashews, crab, shrimp and fish.
RECOMMENDED DIETARY ALLOWANCE:
Make sure you get the RDA for vitamin C, E and beta-carotene. If you rarely eat dark-green or orange varieties of fruits and vegetables, take a supplement, which supplies 100% of the RDA vitamins and minerals.
Studies show that people, especially as they age, don’t get the RDA for vitamin E. Good food sources for vitamin E again are breakfast cereals that are fortified with 100% of the RDA for vitamins and minerals, shellfish, mustard or turnip greens, kale and collards.
Ito Nakamura is a Internet Health Enterprenuer specialising in marketing health supplements; health exercise equipments & beauty products. http://www.detoxprofessor.com
[tags]anti-oxidants,anti-agings,vitamins,health supplements,beauty,cells,healthy aging,health food,aging[/tags]
Help Prevent Premature Aging With Nutrition-Science
Aging occurs when the body’s cells die at faster rates than new cells are generated. People age prematurely because inadequate nutrition resulting from poor diet stimulates cellular destruction and increases the potential for obesity, diabetes, cancer and other chronic diseases.
With improper diet, the body produces vast quantities of highly reactive oxygen molecules, known as free radicals. Free radicals attack healthy cells and accelerate the aging process. This occurs especially when we eat high-fat foods, but also occurs when we are exposed to environmental pollutants, such as pesticides and ultraviolet radiation…or consume too many calories in the diet.
Simple Steps to Help Prevent Premature Aging:
1. Take a high-potency MULTIVITAMIN/MINERAL SUPPLEMENT DAILY… to provide valuable nutritional protection against free radicals and help eliminate toxins.
2. Eat Plenty of BERRIES . . . Strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.as well as grapes and cherries all contain valuable phytonutrients called flavonoids, which have potent antioxidant activity that can fight heart disease. The naturally occurring Ellagic Acid from these berries, also promote excretion of carcinogenic chemicals.
3. Drink GREEN TEA . . . Green tea comes from the leaves of Camellia sinensis, the same plant used to make black tea….but it has more of the potent antioxidants called polyphenols than black tea.
Green Tea helps protect the liver and fight cancer. One recent study examined Japanese women with breast cancer. Increased green tea consumption was associated with a decreased risk of lymph node metastasis. Researches also found that when women with breast cancer drank five cups of green tea a day, they were more likely to be in remission six months later.
Green tea also has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels, fight tooth decay and aid in weight loss.
Drink two or more cups of green tea daily or take at least 1,500 mg daily of Green tea extract in capsule or tablet form.
4. Reduce Dairy Food Intake…No more than 3 - 4 servings of dairy per week.
Milk, cheese and other dairy foods contain Casein, one of the most common food allergens. It can deplete immune cells. Milk also contains xanthine oxidase, an enzyme that may increase plague buildup in the arteries.
Adults don’t need dairy to get adequate Calcium. Increase daily intake of Calcium-enriched foods, such as juice and soy, rice and almond milk. Broccoli, collard greens, sardines and canned salmon also are rich in Calcium.
5. Supplement with FISH OIL, PRIMROSE OIL AND FLAXSEED OIL . . . These oils contain essential fatty acids…fish oil is a source of eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA)…evening primrose oil is a source of GLA. These beneficial fatty acids are involved in proper functioning of the brain and immune system. They also reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer…and help relieve pain and inflammation.
Take 3,000 mg to 5,000 mg of fish oil and 1,000 mg of evening primrose oil daily. If you are on blood-thinning medications such as warfarin (Coumadin), check with your doctor first. Vegetarians can substitute Flaxseed oil for fish oil, if so desired.
6. Increase GARLIC Intake . . . Garlic contains allicin, a sulfur compound that builds immunity and prevents infections. It reduces risk of colon, esophageal and stomach cancers. One study of 41,000 American women found that one or more servings of garlic a week decreased colon cancer risk by 35%. It also lowers cholesterol and has valuable blood pressure-lowering effects.
One-half to one whole raw clove daily (cooking reduces its benefits), or an odor-free Garlic supplement with 4,000 micrograms (mcg) to 5,000 mcg of allicin.
7. Supplement with SPIRULINA 2,000 mg to 3,000 mg per day . . . Spirulina is a nutritive blue-green algae that grows in warm waters around the world including Africa, Central America and Hawaii. It has become a staple for knowledgeable health practitioners because it contains all the essential amino acids in a highly absorbable form and is a rich source of protein. It also contains carotenoids, fat-soluble pigments that act as antioxidants . . . gamma-linoleic acid (GLA), an essential fatty acid . . . chlorophyll, a pigment that has potent antioxidant and anti-cancer properties…and phytocyanins, which stimulate red blood cell production. Several studies have shown that spirulina improves immune system activity. Spirulina also has been shown to have antiviral effects and a mild cholesterol-reducing benefit.
Are you interested in ready more articles about a healthy lifestyle? Visit Health for People and Pets at www.healthforpeopleandpets.com/articles.html for new information about the latest health updates and advice. Are you looking for high quality health products? Check out www.healthforpeopleandpets.com/people.html to view our wide assortment of health products.
Terry Goldman is the co-founder for health for people and pets (http://www.healthforpeopleandpets.com). The company mission statement is to offer high quality health supplements along with pet supply.
[tags]health, health supplements, aging, nutrition, antioxidants, vitamins, supplements[/tags]
