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Antioxidants - The life savers

The most important medical discovery of the last half century concerns two substances called “free radicals” and “antioxidants”. Free radicals have been linked to (at last count) about 60 diseases… we now have evidence that antioxidants can stop and (in some instances) even reverse the damage done by free radicals.

Dr. Robert D. Willix Jr.
Healthy at 100:
7 Steps to a Century of Great Health

   

Prevent Cancer

The evidence is now irrefutable that the right use of antioxidants can prevent and reverse many forms of cancer, heart disease, atherosclerosis, adult-onset diabetes and a host of other diseases whose primary cause is excess (free radical) oxidation.

Dr. Michael Colgan,
The New Nutrition:
Medicine for the Millennium

   

Easy Disease Prevention

Do not fear cardiovascular disease. It is the easiest of all man-made diseases to prevent, and even to reverse, if only you follow the right nutrition plus a little easy exercise to blow away the cobwebs.

Dr. Michael Colgan,
The New Nutrition:
Medicine for the Millenium

   

No Heart Disease for me

The good news is that heart disease can easily be prevented and even reversed. Controlling homocysteine-induced oxidative damage with vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid and supplementing with natural antioxidants are key factors in preventing and reversing heart disease. Vitamin E, vitamin C, beta-carotene and the intracellular antioxidants, glutathione, n-acetyl-cysteine and coenzyme Q10, are all shown to play an important role in the ongoing battle against oxidative stress. Three antioxidants in particular, vitamin E, beta-carotene and coenzyme Q10, provide specific protection against oxidation of human LDL cholesterol [].

   

Increasing Diabetes

A possible explanation for the emergence of Type II Diabetes in children is the increasing obesity and decreasing physical activity of children. Obesity is now reaching epidemic proportions in the U.S. and elsewhere.

American Diabetes Association
Type II Diabetes in Children and Adults

   

Beat Diabetes

The good news is that diabetes can be beaten. Part of the solution lies in prevention of the disease in the first place -- before the damage is done. We now know that much of the damage from high blood sugar levels occurs through the oxidation of fats to form toxic lipid peroxides. Numerous recent studies show that vitamin E, a fat-soluble antioxidant, provides protection against damage caused by free-radical oxidation of lipids []. Clinical trials also show that supplementation with vitamin E causes a marked improvement of insulin action, and a reduction in blood sugar levels and oxidative stress []. As mentioned previously, reduction of blood sugars and prevention of lipid peroxidation provide added protection against heart disease.

Insulin resistance, the pre-clinical stage of type II diabetes, responds well to weight loss and dietary change. Fats and sugars are powerful free radical protagonists, so it's important to reduce these in the diet and in the body. The key is the combination of a low glycemic diet fortified with essential fatty acids, nutritional supplementation targeted to enhance insulin Sensitivity and optimize antioxidant protection, and regular aerobic exercise to blow out the pipes. It’s a sensible approach that works wonders as it sheds pounds.