Antioxidant information, which vitamins and supplements to buy for optimal protection against free radicals, do the use of these natural free radical quenchers increase longevity?
Over the past few years articles touting the benefits of vitamins C and E have been touted in countless magazine and newspaper articles. Yet, even with all this press, most people don’t have a good understanding of the concept of oxidation and anti-oxidation.
Dosage Guidelines:
Benefit of fruits and vegetables
Carotenoids and
flavonoids may be obtained through fruits and vegetables, however supplements
are sometimes helpful. One helpful flavonoid for vision is
lutein. Another interesting carotenoid is
astaxanthin.
Benefit of herbs and spices
Basil herb
used in cooking is of benefit.
Curcumin
Ginger
Thyme
Understanding Antioxidants
When excessive oxidation occurs for prolonged periods, it can take a toll on the system. Changes occur in cells which include damage to fatty acids, inactivation of enzymes, deterioration of cell membranes, breakdown of proteins, and damage to the DNA. For instance, if oxidants damage DNA, the eventual consequence could be a higher likelihood of cancer. If the damage occurs in arteries that supply blood to the heart, it could lead to hardening of the arteries and a heart attack. All these changes lead to disease and premature aging. Over the past few years, scientific evidence has slowly accumulated indicating that taking antioxidant supplements could potentially reduce the risk of certain illnesses and maintain brain health. There is, as of now, no proof that ingesting them prolongs life span in humans, but enough evidence has accumulated on their benefits that one should not casually dismiss their potential in improving quality of life and slowing the progression of certain chronic degenerative disorders.
But with the thousands available in our foodstuffs and the dozens or hundreds available as supplements, which ones should you take, and in what dosages? This chapter will provide you with practical guidelines.
Measuring levels
There are several kinds of tests are used to measure a food's antioxidant power.
The most popular test is Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. ORAC
measures an antioxidant's ability to protect against the most common free
radical in human plasma, the peroxyl radical. ORAC is a helpful starting point
to guide consumers to foods that are rich in antioxidants as part of a diet that
contains many different healthy foods, especially since new
antioxidants are being discovered all the time. But how a food behaves in a test tube
is one thing; how it behaves in our bodies is another.
Benefits
As a rule, you are not likely to notice any immediate cognitive or physical benefits from
taking antioxidant pills. Therefore, do not expect any
dramatic changes in mood, energy, alertness, and memory. These nutrients can be
compared to health insurance. You pay your monthly fee but don’t often get the
benefits until years later when you need a hospital bill paid. They
serve to protect your brain cells, proteins, and DNA from the gradual damage
that occurs with the aging process. However other
nutrients that have such benefits, such as CoQ10 and lipoic acid, are mind energizers — they have immediate cognitive effects. Taking high doses of
certain pills, particularly synthetic vitamin E, may be
counterproductive.
It’s quite likely that, over the long run, antioxidants could slow the
progression of heart disease, cancer, age related cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s
disease, and perhaps other conditions, though there is no definite proof yet.
Brain cells can get oxidized
The cell membrane of neurons is made mostly of phospholipids, which contain
fatty acids. Nerve fibers that travel from the brain to the spinal cord, and
from the spinal cord to the rest of the body, are also insulated with a
white-colored fatty substance called myelin. With time, these fats can become
oxidized, interfering with proper nerve activity. The process of fats becoming
oxidized is called lipid peroxidation. The oxidation of fats contributes
to brain aging and can accelerate degenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s
disease. You may recall from chapter 7 that the brain contains a great deal of
polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as DHA and arachidonic acid, which are
particularly susceptible to oxidation. As we age, many of these fatty acids in
the brain become damaged due to oxidation and they lose some of their double
bonds, thus becoming more saturated. Neurons in the brain become less efficient
the more the fatty acids become saturated. Antioxidants can thus play a
protective role in keeping the fatty acids in the brain healthy. After all,
about 60 percent of the brain is made of fat.
Longevity and life extension
I review their benefits for life extension. I have been supplementing my diet
with daily does of vitamins A, C, and E for almost forty years now. I started
doing this during the 1960s after reading that there was a study that showed
that laboratory rats given a diet
rich in anti-oxidants tended, on average, to live about longer than the
control animals.
There is no proof at this time that taking antioxidant vitamins
in pill form will help you live longer, nor is there good evidence that they will shorten
lifespan. In order for us to know how these nutraceuticals and phytochemicals influence longevity,
several well controlled studies have to be done on individual substances in
varying dosages for at least a 20 to 30 year period while keeping dietary intake
similar in all the study participants. This is not practical and not likely to
be done soon. For the time being if you do plan to take antioxidant supplements,
take products that have a wide range of nutrients in low amounts as opposed to
just 2 or 3 in high dosages. We are not convinced that taking megadoses of a single form of synthetic
vitamin E or single carotenoid is a good option.
Memory
Although many antioxidant pills do not immediately influence cognition and
memory, they very well could have a positive effect in the long run. Researchers
at the University of Bern, in Switzerland, evaluated a total of three hundred
male and one hundred thirty female volunteers, aged sixty-five to ninety-four,
over twenty-two years. In 1971, they measured blood levels of three
antioxidants: vitamin E, vitamin C, and beta-carotene. They also performed
extensive memory testing. They found that higher levels of vitamin C and beta-carotene
were associated with better performance in memory testing.
The researchers only tested blood levels of
three antioxidants. It is quite likely that a number of others play
a role in helping us preserve memory and mental capacities in our later years.
For instance, an eight-month study in rats showed administration of extracts
from strawberries and spinach, either alone or with vitamin E, was able to slow
damage to brain cells due to the aging process (Joseph 1998).
Enhancing the body's own
production
Which herbs / herbal formulas would you know of
that increase the body's own indigenous production of free radical scavengers /
antioxidants, such as CoQ10, SOD, glutathione, GABA and ALA? When we have a
regular intake of the above factors, does the body eventually start producing
less of these internally?Are we creating a pattern of dependency? At what
levels could such a pattern develop?
There are countless herbs and nutrients and food substances
that influence such production. There is little likelihood of tolerance or
dependency, but taking more is not necessarily better. The body likes to have a
balance. Acetylcysteine increases glutatione levels, so does selenium.
OPC-3
This is a supplement with
powerful antioxidants. OPC-3 has been shown to help maintain healthy circulation
by strengthening capillaries, arteries and veins. Also supports healthy
blood-vessel dilation and circulation. Could this be a natural approach to
someone with Raynaud's syndrome. I myself have taken OPC-3 product for over nine
months, having suffered greatly for the past five or six years with carpel
tunnel to the point of fearing I would have to give up my sports; fishing in
Alaska, snowmobiling and my love for horses due to the pain, numbness etc. Not
the case, I have been pain free and continue to enjoy my
sports and caring for ten horses on a daily basis. I sleep better and do not
have the numbness in my hands and lower arms that I experienced nightly as well
as talking on the phone and driving long distances.
OPC refers to oligomeric proanthocyanidins, bioflavonoid
complexes that help fight free radicals within the body. OPC-3 has these
antioxidants: grape seed extract, red wine extract, Pycnogenol, bilberry
extract, and bioflavonoids. All of these antioxidants could be very helpful in
maintaining health.
Purple Defence formula
I received an email from Dr. Mercola regarding Purple Defense. He says
muscadine grapes, most commonly purple or bronze in color, are native to
the southeastern United States. The natural whole-food ingredient in
Purple Defense may be the most powerful antioxidant ever discovered.
Bio-Active Muscadine Compounds include ellagic acid, quercetin,
resveratrol, anthocyanidins, cyanidin, OPCs (oligomeric procyanidins),
tartaric acid, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, peonidin, cinnamic acid,
delphinidin, epicatechin, petunidin, gallic acid, geraniol, vitamin C,
myricetin, kaempferol, coumaric acid, and malvidin. Dr. Mercola claims it
is the best antioxidant on the market.
Purple Defense is a good product, but there are countless other
antioxidant products on the market that are also beneficial, including resveratrol,
mangosteen, goji berry, pomegranate, berry
compounds, other grape extracts. Take a look at the cost and the price and
determine whether you are getting a good value for your money.
Eurycoma longifolia
Does the herb tongkat ali have
antioxidant uses?
It may, but we are not sure. This herb should not be used more than 3 times a
week.