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WHAT ARE ANTIOXIDANTS AND
THE FREE RADICALS
Antioxidants are intimately involved in the prevention of cellular damage -- the common pathway for cancer, aging, and a variety of diseases. The scientific community has begun to unveil some of the mysteries surrounding this topic, and the media has begun whetting our thirst for knowledge. Athletes have a keen interest because of health concerns and the prospect of enhanced performance and/or recovery from exercise. The purpose of this article is to serve as a beginners guide to what antioxidants are and to briefly review their role in exercise and general health. What follows is only the tip of the iceberg in this dynamic and interesting subject.
Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms with an odd (unpaired) number of electrons and can be formed when oxygen interacts with certain molecules. Once formed these highly reactive radicals can start a chain reaction, like dominoes. Their chief danger comes from the damage they can do when they react with important cellular components such as DNA, or the cell membrane. Cells may function poorly or die if this occurs. To prevent free radical damage the body has a defense system of antioxidants.
Antioxidants are molecules which can safely interact with free radicals and terminate the chain reaction before vital molecules are damaged. Although there are several enzyme systems within the body that scavenge free radicals, the principle micronutrient (vitamin) antioxidants are vitamin E, beta-carotene, and vitamin C. Additionally, selenium, a trace metal that is required for proper function of one of the body's antioxidant enzyme systems, is sometimes included in this category. The body cannot manufacture these micronutrients so they must be supplied in the diet.
Antioxidants are also thought to have a role in slowing the aging process and preventing heart disease and strokes, but the data is still inconclusive. Therefore from a public health perspective it is premature to make recommendations regarding antioxidant supplements and disease prevention. New data from ongoing studies will be available in the next few years and will shed more light on this constantly evolving area. Perhaps the best advice, which comes from several authorities in cancer prevention, is to eat 5 servings of fruit or vegetables per day.
Can antioxidant supplements prevent exercise induced damage or enhance recovery from exercise?
Although it is well known that vitamin deficiencies can create difficulties in training and recovery, the role of antioxidant supplementation in a well nourished athlete is controversial. The experimental studies are often conflicting and conclusions are difficult to reach. Nevertheless, most of the data suggest that increased intake of vitamin E is protective against exercise induced oxidative damage. It is hypothesized that vitamin E is also involved in the recovery process following exercise. Currently, the amount of vitamin E needed to produce these effects is unknown. The diet may supply enough vitamin E in most athletes, but some may require supplementation. There is no firm data to support the use of increased amounts of the other antioxidants.
Performance
In general, antioxidant supplements have not been shown to be useful as performance enhancers. The one exception to this is vitamin E which has been shown to be useful in athletes exercising at high altitudes. A placebo controlled study done on mountaineers demonstrated less free radical damage and decline in anaerobic threshold in those athletes supplemented with vitamin E. Although difficult to generalize, this finding suggests that supplementation with vitamin E might be beneficial in those triathletes who are adapting to higher elevations.
For the past three years our research team at Sharp Labs Inc. has been watching the outcome of many placebos for various tests on many so claimed "Super Antioxidants". We know now so much more about what vitamins and minerals work as true antioxidants for our immune system and what vitamin co factors work well together with regard to antioxidant performance. We are proud to offer our best antioxidant formula yet. "Cell Protect" is a super antioxidant formula that is dynamic and keeps changing with modern research results. We keep our formula top notch for only the best in aiding your diet for immune system boosting power.
For instance did you know?
1)Vitamin A has been ruled out as a super antioxidant in high doses and can actually be harmful and increase
cancer risk especially in smokers. Vitamin A in small doses such as in "Cell Protect" although works well with Vitamin E and other vitamins.
2)Flax Seed extracts have had good results while being tested for antioxidant performance.
3)Garlic is quickly becoming our most exciting antioxidant ingredient yet amd tests have shown that garlic
is all good and has no bad side effects. Garlic powder extract will be released in our newest "Cell Protect"
formula being released shortly.
4)Vitamin C can be used in large amounts and not be harmful but our bodies will only process set amounts for what it needs. We know this and apply this formula to the production of our super "Cell Protect" antioxidant supplement.
This is just a brief description of some facts that we have researched and uncovered throughout our antioxidant and immune system studies and hope you will choose "Cell Protect" as your daily antioxidant supplement. We offer you only the finest and purest extracts and strains in all of our supplements!
What Are Free Radicals - Click Here!
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