Wednesday, November 18, 2009

What Is Antioxidant?

A diagram of how antioxidant work can teach us all



Antioxidant: Any substance that reduces oxidative damage (damage due to oxygen) such as that caused by free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive chemicals that attack molecules by capturing electrons and thus modifying chemical structures. Antioxidant is a substance that can release electrons to free radicals and thus stabilize free radicals.

Benefit of Antioxidant:
  • Neutralize free radicals
  • Improve blood flow
  • Dilate the arteries
  • Strengthen capillary walls
  • Inhibits blood clotting
  • Improve eyesight
  • reduce the risks of cancer
  • reduce age-related molecular degeneration
Lack of Antioxidant can cause the following diseases:
  • Cancer
  • heart and coronary disease
  • Diabetes
  • high blood pressure
  • Alzheimer`s
  • Arthritis
  • poor vision
  • lack of energy
  • depression
  • Asthma
  • and more...
How to get antioxidant?
  • Our body will generate antioxidant and build an immune system for us
    • but because of the difference of our Gene, lifestyle and environment and with the aging of our body, the ability to generate antioxidant of our body will decrease with the time going on.
  • Antioxidant from food and nutritional products
    • all kinds of vegetables and fruits
    • Vitamins A, C, E
    • OPCs, ORAC, Resveratrol, etc.


For a list of good recommended Antioxidant, please visit the following links:


Isotonix OPC3

Isotonix ORAC

Resveratrol

Monday, November 16, 2009

What are Free Radicals?

Here is the definition of Free Radicals:

an atom or group of atoms with at least one unpaired electron: in the body it is usually an oxygen molecule that has lost an electron and will stabilize itself by stealing an electron from a nearby molecule.



Scientists have proven that free radicals are the reasons of at least 70 different kinds of diseases, and that includes heart diseases and cancer, and they can expedites aging.



Here is an illustration. Cut an apple in half. It will begin to turn brown. If you look at it, when air hit that apple, the oxidized process begins, and aging and decaying will begin. If you can open up inside of your body, and look at it, you can actually see free radicals damage happening on a daily basis from the chemicals, and the stress, and the metabolic toxins. 

There are different types of free radicals:
  • Reactive oxygen species, ROS or Oxygen free radicals
  • Reactive nitrogen species RNS,  or Nitrogen free radicals
How free radicals are generated?
  • metabolic toxins of our body
  • over exercise
  • stress
  • polluted air, food and water
  • smoke
  • sun light
  • drugs and radiation
  • and many more...
To read more detail of free radicals, you can visit this link.
To learn how to decrease free radicals from our body, please read my blog post on What is Antioxidants.
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