Did you know that when we breath oxygen, it interacts with certain molecules in our bodies to create free radicals and that these free radicals damage important cellular structures such as DNA and cell membranes? Well, it is true and this damage may cause cells to function poorly and mutate. Free radical damage may lead to disease and aging.We are exposed to huge amounts of free radicals from pollution, and pesticides. Every time you breathe, you take in millions of free radical molecules created by cigarette smoke, radiation, and automobile emissions. Every time you eat, you consume free radicals in
form of pesticides and preservatives.
This is where antioxidants come in. Our bodies have a natural defense system against these free radicals. Our immune system creates antioxidants which are able to neutralize free radicals and prevent much cellular damage. We also need antioxidants from other sources such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, some meat, poultry and fish.
I bet you may recognize these antioxidants: vitamin E, C and beta carotene (a form of vitamin A. Others include luetin, lycopene, magnesium, and zinc.
There has been much talk about antioxidants preventing heart disease which is so deadly that it results in an average of 1 death every 34 seconds. The American Heart Association says, ?Oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad") cholesterol is important in development of fatty buildups in arteries. This process, called atherosclerosis (ath"er-o-skleh-RO'sis), can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Increasing evidence suggests that LDL cholesterol lipoprotein oxidation and its biological effects can be prevented by using antioxidants -- both in diet and in supplements.? In 1993, Harvard University researchers reported that supplemental doses of vitamin E actually reduced risk of heart disease by as much as 54 percent!
And what effects can antioxidants have on big ?C? word? This is a question that all of us are dying to know since one American in every three living today will get cancer, and one in four will die from it. The National Cancer Institute says, ?Considerable laboratory evidence from chemical, cell culture, and animal studies indicates that antioxidants may slow or possibly prevent development of cancer. However, information from recent clinical trials is less clear.? Selenium, an antioxidant mineral can help protect against breast cancer. One expert, Dr. Gerhard Schrauzer of University of California at San Diego, stated, "If every woman in America started taking selenium supplements or had a high-selenium diet, then within a few years breast cancer rate in this country would drastically decline. And according to a study by Dr. Larry Clark of University of Arizona, 200 micrograms daily of selenium cut rate of prostate cancer by 69% and lung cancer by 34%.
