ANTIOXIDANTS The Secret to Aging Gracefully

Free Radicals: The Enemy of Your Health

Free radicals are highly reactive and unstable chemicals that have the potential to disrupt the cells in our body. At high concentrations, they can bind to major cellular components such as proteins, DNA, lipids and cell membranes and sabotage them. When this occurs, cells begin to function poorly, die or mutate, leading to a variety of chronic and degenerative diseases.

What causes free radicals in our body?

Free radicals are produced naturally by our body and externally from our environment. In the body, they are constantly generated as a by-product of metabolism. External factors like air pollution, UV, radiation and motor vehicles discharge can also raise the concentration of free radicals. Other factors that promote free radical formation are drinking excessive alcohol, smoking, pathogenic infections, and a build-up of toxins in the body. Also, free radical damage increases with age. Our body can normally protect itself from free radical damage by keeping them under control. However, when free radicals become excessive, it will lead to a state known as oxidative stress. When this happens, cell death and injury occur.

What are the effects of free radical damage?

This might come as a surprise, but free radicals are behind many known diseases. They can cause oxidative stress and chronic inflammation while damaging our immune function. Any of these can be the beginning of a disease process.

Free radicals have been associated with premature aging, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, kidney disease, liver damage, pancreatitis and Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, free radicals can contribute to cancer. DNA is very vulnerable to free radical oxidation. When DNA is damaged, healthy cells can mutate into cancerous cells, thus developing cancer within the body.

Wrinkling and sagging skin can also develop from free radical damage, causing us to look older than we are.

Antioxidants: Nature’s Cure against Free Radicals

Over time, these free radicals can wear down our cells, tissues and organs. To combat or minimize the destructive effects of free radical damage, antioxidants are needed. Antioxidants act as scavengers to neutralise the highly reactive radicals. They prevent free radicals from attacking our healthy cells, thus protecting us from oxidative stress and diseases. Antioxidants also keep us looking young!

Where can you get antioxidants?

The body naturally creates antioxidants, but only up to a certain amount. With the toxic environment and unhealthy lifestyle that we are having nowadays, the production of free radicals exceeds the amount of antioxidants that the body is capable of producing. Oxidative stress can happen and the body’s ability to defend itself from harmful invaders is reduced. Therefore, it is important to get antioxidants from external sources, which is your diet. Here are some examples of foods rich in antioxidants:

Dark-coloured vegetables – carrot, squash, spinach, kale, local vegetables such as kai-lan and sawi. Berries – blueberry, raspberry, goji berry. Fruits – mangosteen, papaya, mango, grape. Beans – kidney bean, pinto bean, black bean. Nuts – pecan, walnut, hazelnut. Herbs – cinnamon, ginger, clove.

What is the most powerful antioxidant naturally present in your body?

Glutathione, also known as “the mother of all antioxidants”, is produced internally within a healthy body and is found in every cell in the body. It is the most important antioxidant that does more than just neutralizing free radicals and preventing cellular damage. Glutathione is also capable of regenerating other antioxidants like beta-carotene and vitamin C and allows them to be properly utilised within the body. Besides that, it performs various essential activities including immune function support, detoxification, energy utilization, and cancer prevention. Conditions like stress, an unhealthy diet and medications can upset the production of Glutathione in the body. Here is one unique way to boost your Glutathione production:

Coffee Enema

Coffee contains palmitic acid that when used as an enema can increase Glutathione activity in your body by 600 to 700 percent. It boosts the production of Glutathione S. Transferase (GST) which is the detoxifying enzyme present in the body. GST allows the excess free radicals to be soluble in water for easy elimination. The liver also utilises GST to counteract poisons such as drugs, alcohol, pollutants, and pesticides.

Besides glutathione, what are the other potent antioxidants?

Astaxanthin

Astaxanthin, often called “the king of the carotenoids”, is a carotenoid pigment present in certain marine plants and animals. It has been long recognised as a super-antioxidant with antioxidant capacity up to 550 times stronger than vitamin E and 40 times stronger than beta-carotene. Studies have shown that astaxanthin significantly decreases the oxidative load in the body, defending the body against free radical damage. Other than that, its strong antioxidant properties contribute to eye, skin, joint and heart health, as well as supporting immune function. NewLife™ Collasta contains a blend of age-defying super antioxidants. It contains a generous amount of astaxanthin extracted from red algae and others such as hydrolyzed marine collagen, grapeseed extract, green tea extract, pine bark extract, lycopene and mangosteen extract. All these antioxidants work hand-in-hand to combat free radical damage and prevent most chronic diseases. It is designed to benefit one’s beauty and health by providing the skin elasticity and strength as well as reducing joint pain and inflammation.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is another powerful antioxidant. It is an excellent free radical scavenger that plays a role in blocking the oxidation of proteins, lipids, DNA and other important cellular components. Also, vitamin C can regenerate other essential antioxidants, especially vitamin E. Supplementation of vitamin C is shown to lead to a higher level of vitamin E. Besides resisting free radical damage, vitamin C can protect us against heart disease, high blood pressure, common cold and cancer. As vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin which is not stored in our body, we need to replenish it daily from supplements or foods like citrus fruits.

NewLife™ Vitamin C Complex 1000mg offers a powerful dosage of vitamin C blended with bioflavonoids (lemon bioflavonoids, rutin, acerola, rosehip and citrus) to enhance the activities of vitamin C. Besides neutralising free radicals, it promotes other amazing health benefits including prevention of cataracts, anti-cancer properties, prevention of plaque formation and reduction of heart disease risk. NewLife™ Vitamin C Complex 1000mg is designed in a sustained-release dosage form, offering 40% better utilisation rate than other usual tablets.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) CoQ10 is a vitamin-like nutrient that is produced in the body. It is formed in almost every cell in the body and is essential for basic cell function. CoQ10 is a critical component in both antioxidant protection and energy production. It acts as an antioxidant to help prevent premature aging and health problems caused by free radicals. Although it is naturally created in the body, the supply decreases as we age. Environmental toxins also increase the body’s demand for this antioxidant.NewLife™ CoQ10 is combined with essential fatty acids present in flaxseed extract. These fatty acids act as a transport medium to ensure that CoQ10 is fully absorbed by the body, thus providing better results. NewLife™ CoQ10 does not only provide a defence against oxidative damage, it can also improve blood pressure, increase energy production in cells and prevent heart damage.

Alpha-linolenic Acid (ALA) When the free radicals outnumber the antioxidants in the body, they induce oxidative stress which leads to chronic inflammation. Inflammation in turn causes higher levels of oxidative stress. Both oxidative stress and chronic inflammation can cause or worsen most diseases. Therefore, it is important to control inflammation as well. ALA is an essential omega-3 fatty acid with potent anti-inflammatory properties. It curbs inflammation and alleviates the symptoms of many diseases. Besides that, ALA is known to lower cholesterol, prevent heart diseases, and is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.NewLife™ Omega Gold Flax Seed Oil is rich in ALA and made exclusively from organic golden flax seeds. It is extracted using a unique coldpressing process, which prevents the destructive effect of heat, light and oxygen, thus preserving the nutrients. The oil is of the highest quality, which is stable and resistant to rancidity.

What are other wavs to reduce free radical load in vour body? Besides supplementing your diet and eating a variety of foods rich in antioxidants, you can also help battle free radical damage by:

• Drinking only pure distilled water to avoid any environmental pollutants in water.
• Cutting down the intake of processed, refined, and fried foods.
• Limiting meat consumption and other hormone-laden foods.
• Managing stress and getting quality sleep.
• Using only biodegradable household products and natural cosmetic products.
• Breathing fresh and clean air.
• Avoiding excessive alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking.

Now that we have learned about the damaging effects of free radicals and how antioxidants play a role in counteracting the damages, let’s win the battle against free radicals! Nourish yourself with the antioxidants above. Protect your health and age gracefully!