Health & Wellbeing

• Free radicals cause disease by breaking down cell membranes and decreasing the body's immune response. Have you ever noticed how an apple will turn brown when its surface is cut? Or how nails rust? This process of ageing, or turning things bad, is known as oxidation. It occurs when high levels of oxygen react to the exposed surfaces. The very same process is occurring in the human body every second of every day. Each time we take a breath, the oxygen we take in becomes part of the oxidation process, a by-product of which is free radicals.

• In humans, the most common form of free radicals is oxygen. When an oxygen molecule (02) becomes electrically charged or "radicalised" it tries to steal electrons from other molecules, causing damage to the DNA and other molecules. Over time, such damage may become irreversible and lead to disease including cancer.

• Free radicals cause 90% of all disease including Cancer, Heart Disease, Arthritis, Asthmas, Diabetes and Sudden Death Syndrome. Diets low in necessary nutrients may lead to an underproduction of these important substances. Vitamins A, C, E, Selenium, Beta Carotene, Zinc, Manganese, Coenzymes Q10 and the detoxifying amino acids Methionine and Cysteine may prove to be the most important antioxidant nutrients we can take into our systems to combat free radical effects.

• Of particular importance is that free radical damage accumulates with age. It may even speed up the ageing process as skin loses its elasticity, muscles weaken, hair thins, eyesight and hearing fail, teeth decay, immunity decreases and degenerative diseases increase. Other types of free radicals can be formed by heavy pollution, cigarette smoke, excessive alcohol, radiation, physical and emotional trauma, illness and infection and even some foods which may be less than fresh.
   

ANTIOXIDANTS

• Antioxidants slow the process of oxidation, a natural process that leads to cell and tissue damage. They are often described as "mopping up" or "scavenging" free radicals - they neutralise free radicals as the natural by-product of normal cell processes and have two have two major functions:
  • To protect cell membrane by scavenging the free radicals
  • To assist in maximising the ability of the body's immune systems.
    
• Overwhelming evidence now indicates that antioxidants play a critical role in wellness, health maintenance and the prevention of chronic and degenerative diseases.