Feb
05
Antioxidant supplements – Are They Right For You
If people want to research, nothing seems to beat the internet, which is why so many people have spent time online researching antioxidants. Usually, they’ll spend more time and then add in some money, actually buying antioxidant supplements and they do it for a good reason. Antioxidants can make a very positive difference in your health. But is taking supplements enough?
The Role of Antioxidants
One most coins there are two sides – heads and tails. On the health coin, these opposing sides are made up of antioxidants on one side and on the other – free radicals. Think of them as electrons gone bad. To understand the role of one – lets look first at what free radicals do.
Every organ in your body is made of a countless number of living cells. Three the stresses of living, the atoms in those cells can lose an electron which damages the structure of the molecule and now you have a free radical. Free radicals will steal an electron from another nearby cell to fix themselves, but now another atom is looking for its missing electron.
As you can imagine, a chain reaction occurs, that left unchecked will damage the structure of the cell. When this happens, the tissue of an organ gets cluttered up with a lot of damaged cells which left long enough will impair the function of the organ.
We have trillions of cells in our bodies and each day they can be hit up to 10,000 times by free radicals, capable of setting off a chain reaction of destruction. However what antioxidants do is stop the reaction because they are uniquely capable of donating an electron to a free radical without becoming one in turn. They stop the process before it becomes destructive.
This attack by free radicals contributes to (and some will say primarily causes) many of the acute and chronic diseases that we associate with aging. Alzheimers disease, acute and chronic inflammation, coronary disease, cancer, type II diabetes, Parkinsons disease, rheumatoid arthritis and some types of dementia have all been traced back to free radical damage. And thats not the full list.
If you’re ready to make a positive contribution to your health, you must be aware of antioxidants and free radicals. You need more antioxidants and fewer free radicals in your body and supplements are part of what you can do. But there’s more:
1- Stop causing the damage. Free radicals are created through many processes. Many of which we can control. Air pollution, primary and second hand tobacco smoke, substance abuse, Junk Food, unnecessary chemicals and excessive exercise (yes even good things than go bad) all create free radicals and all are within our ability to control.
2- Eat Better. Naturally, if you don’t have a healthy diet – you won’t be healthy. Fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and legumes. Honestly, the list of antioxidant rich foods is very long and you’re bound to find something you’ll love.
3- There is a role for antioxidant supplements in your health plan. Some of them like vitamins C and E might be on your list even before you think of adding antioxidants to your plan. Other excellent and very frequently used supplements are cordyceps and resveratrol.
4. Incorporate Glutathione precursors into your plan. There isn’t an effective oral Glutathione supplement right now, but you can take a Glutathione precursor to support you own ability to manufacture glutathione. Simply Google “Glutathione precursor” to see what’s available. Other natural supplements like Milk Thistle and Selenium are beneficial.
Anna Ruth works with Whole Earth Health and advocates for MAX GXL a glutathione precursor. MAXGXL helps the body to increase the levels of glutathione it manufactures. The product has some outstanding testimonials from people who are suffering from reduced glutathione levels and the problems that declines in the levels of the body’s master antioxidant can lead to.