ANTIOXIDANTS AND FREE RADICAL DAMAGE
Oxidative stress resulting from excessive free-radical release is likely implicated in the initiation and progression of epilepsy. Therefore, antioxidant therapies aimed at reducing oxidative stress have received considerable attention in disease prevention and even with epilepsy treatment.
Oxidative stress resulting from excessive free-radical release is likely implicated in the initiation and progression of epilepsy. Therefore, antioxidant therapies aimed at reducing oxidative stress have received considerable attention in epilepsy treatment.
Antioxidants are substances that protect your cells against Free Radicals. Free radicals can cause damage to cells causing illness, early aging, heart disease, cancer and other chronic and acute diseases such as:
Seizures
Atherosclerosis, or the hardening of the blood vessels
Inflammatory and autoimmune conditions
High blood pressure, which is also known as hypertension
Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s
Mitochondria Dysfunction
Free Radicals are unstable atoms/molecules produced when your body breaks down food or when you're exposed to environmental toxins. Some sources of environmental toxins include:
Ozone
Certain pesticides and cleaners
Cigarette smoke
Radiation, X-rays
Pollution
Contaminated Food and Water supply
Industrial chemicals
Chemicals in the home
A diet high in sugar, fat, and alcohol
Everyone produces some free radicals naturally in their body through processes such as exercise or inflammation. While free radicals and antioxidants are part of your body’s intricate system of keeping itself healthy and functioning, oxidative stress occurs when free radicals and antioxidants are out of balance. When there are more free radicals present than can be kept in balance by antioxidants, the free radicals can start doing damage to fatty tissue, DNA, and proteins in your body. Proteins, lipids, and DNA make up a large part of your body, so that damage can lead to a vast number of diseases over time.
Free radicals can cause large chain chemical reactions in your body because they react so easily with other molecules. These reactions are called Oxidation. They can be beneficial or harmful. Oxidation is a normal and necessary process that takes place in your body. Oxidative stress, on the other hand, occurs when there’s an imbalance between free radical activity and antioxidant activity. When functioning properly, free radicals can help fight off pathogens. Pathogens lead to infections.
While you can’t completely avoid exposure to free radicals, you can make lifestyle choices regarding diet, exercise, and environment to help keep your body in balance, and prevent damage and disease.
Managing and Preventing Oxidative Stress:
It’s impossible to completely avoid free radical exposure and oxidative stress. However, there are things you can do to minimize the effects of oxidative stress on your body. The main thing you can do is to increase your levels of antioxidants and decrease your formation of free radicals.
One method of preventing oxidative stress is to ensure that you’re obtaining enough antioxidants in your diet. Eating five servings per day of a variety of fruits and vegetables is the best way to provide your body what it needs to produce antioxidants. Examples of fruits and vegetables include:
berries
cherries
citrus fruits
prunes
dark leafy greens
broccoli
carrots
tomatoes
olives
Other examples of dietary antioxidant sources include:
Other healthy lifestyle choices can also prevent or reduce oxidative stress. Here are some lifestyle choices that will help:
A regular, moderate exercise routine. This has been associated with higher natural antioxidant levels and decreased damage caused by oxidative stress. Regular exercise has been linked a with a longer lifespan, fewer effects of aging, and decreased risk of cancer and disease.
Don’t smoke. Avoid exposure to secondhand smoke as well.
Use caution with chemicals. This includes cleaning chemicals, avoiding unnecessary radiation exposure, and being aware of other sources of chemical exposure, such as pesticides used on food or in gardening.
Be environmentally conscious. Environmentally friendly initiatives like carpooling help reduce free radical production for you and your community.
Wear sunscreen. Sunscreen prevents ultraviolet light damage to your skin.
Decrease your alcohol intake.
Get plenty of sleep. Ample sleep is very important for maintaining balance in all of your body systems. Brain function, hormone production, antioxidant and free radical balance, and a host of other things are impacted by sleep.
Avoid overeating. Studies have shown that overeating and constant eating keep your body in a state of oxidative stress more often than if you eat at appropriately spaced intervals, and eat small or moderate portions.
The three major antioxidant vitamins are beta-carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin E. You'll find them in colorful fruits and vegetables, especially those with purple, blue, red, orange, and yellow hues. Diets high in vegetables and fruits, which are good sources of antioxidants, have been found to be healthy.
Top 5 high Antioxidant foods to promote better health:
Blueberries
Dark Chocolate
Pecans
Strawberries
Red Cabbage
10 Best Antioxidant Drinks, Plus How They Benefit Your Health
Herbal tea- Green Tea, Matcha Tea
Coffee
Beet juice
Pomegranate juice
Red Wine
Acai juice
Alkaline water
Coconut water
Green juice
What is the most powerful antioxidant supplement?
CoQ10 has been the focus of scientific study for years and has become one of the most popular dietary supplements. It plays a crucial role in producing energy in cells. It acts as a powerful antioxidant, meaning that it helps neutralize cell-damaging molecules or free radicals.
Here's to the amazing benefits of these awesome Antioxidants:
Glutathione peroxidase is a powerful natural antioxidant of the enzyme family and works as a free radical scavenger, reduces oxidative stress and helps your body to heal itself by building up your immune system. It is beneficial for anti-aging and helps promote mitochondria production and energy, it also helps lower LDL cholesterol, reduces the risk of heart disease, strokes and heart attacks. Foods high in Glutathione peroxidase is spinach, avocado, asparagus, broccoli garlic, spinach, tomatoes and tumeric. http://www.news-medical.net/news/20120616/Glutathione-peroxidase-can-dramatically-reduce-risk-of-cardiovascular-disease.aspx
Quercetin is a powerful lavabo antioxidant found in deeply colored plant-based foods such as fruits and vegetables including leafy greens, tomatoes, berries and broccoli. Quercetin is a natural compound and helpful in fighting free radical damage and can help promote longevity, heart health, endurance, immune system and even has anti-inflammatory benefits and can fight against cancer and disease cause by inflammation. https://draxe.com/quercetin Food highest in Quercetin are Canned Capers, Raw Red Onions, Dark Red and Blue Fruit such as cranberries and black plums, raw green peppers. http://www.livestrong.com/article/301326-foods-with-the-highest-content-of-quercetin/
Lycopene is a Caratenoid and is considered the most powerful antioxidant found in food. Lycopene is what give fruit and vegetable its rich red color. It is known that Lycopene is powerful anti-inflammatory and plays a role in preventing cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Lycopene is effective in maintaining the strength, thickness and fluidity of cell membranes. Lycopene stops LDL Cholesterol from being oxidized by free radicals which would end up becoming plaque on the artery walls. Lycopene can prevent eye degeneration. It can also prevent aging of the skin and protects the skin from sunburn. Lycopene can help prevent osteoporosis. Lycopene Guava, watermelon, tomato's, pink grapefruit, rosehips are known for having the most Lycopene in foods. It may also help in infertility treatments and can boost sperm count in men. https://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/high-lycopene-foods.php
Isoflavones have many health benefits such as protection against age related diseases including cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, hormone dependent cancer, breast and prostate cancer, menopausal symptoms and preventing loss of cognitive function. Foods containing the highest amounts of isoflavones are chick peas, alfalfa, fava beans, and kudzu. http://www.livestrong.com/article/85804-foods-rich-isoflavones/
Catechins are flavonoids rich in phytochemicals that have been found to be help fights against cancer, helps prevent arthritis and alzheimers. Catechins are derived in foods, juices and tea derived from plants. Foods that have the highest content of Catechins are Blackberries, dark chocolate, all grapes especially dark purple/black grapes and fava beans.
Proanthocyanins (Cyanins) Anthocyanins are an another antioxidant that have anti-aging and anti-cancer benefits. They are an anti-inflammatory and promote hearth health, reduces cholesterol, protects cells from free radical damage, it is a skin protectant and can help reduce the risk of skin cancers. It is anti-toxic and studies show it can reduce tumors. The Anthocyanins give fruits and vegetables a blue-purple color. The foods which contain the most anthocyanins are blackberries, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, eggplant, grape juice, plums, prunes, purple potato's, purple cauliflower, raisins, red apples, red beets, red pears, strawberries, red wine, red cabbage red beans, and red onions. http://www.phytochemicals.info/phytochemicals/cyanidin.php
Astaxanthin is a bright red carotenoid pigment (natural color) derived from haematococcus pluvialis (H. pluvialis), an algae with the highest levels of astaxanthin, accumulated in response to stressors from its environment, such as starvation, high levels of salt, high temperature and radiation. The accumulation of astaxanthin turns the algae from green to red, and is responsible for the bright pink-red coloring of many marine animals such as salmon, crab and lobster and the brightly colored feather of flamingos, who obtain astaxanthin through their diet. Aside from its wonderful coloring, its main action is that of an antioxidant and, as such, providing protection to algae from environmental stressors. Astaxanthin also works by calming free radicals, absorbing the negative energy they emit. Fat soluble antioxidants tend to provide protection to the inner wall of the cell membrane, whilst water soluble antioxidants provide protection to the outer wall of the cell membrane. However, with its unique structure, astaxanthin is able to span the cell membrane, thus providing antioxidant protection to both the inner and the outer wall, as well as the intra-membrane space. All of these factors make astaxanthin ‘the king of antioxidants’. The natural sources of astaxanthin are algae, yeast, salmon, trout, krill, shrimp and crayfish. Many studies have shown that supplementing with as little as 2mg of astaxanthin per day reduced oxidative DNA damage by 40% after 4 weeks of supplementing.
Krista Zweers Certified Holistic Nutritionist and Lifestyle Specialist Certified Medical Cannabis Specialist 541-633-5568 www.nourishrevivethrive.net nourishrevivethrive@gmail.com
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