by admin | February 9th, 2010
Free Radical Culprits
Overview
Some Health Professional are beginning to understand the role “Free Radicals” play in accelerating the diseases and disorders associated with the aging process. Phlebitis, arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer just to name a few, become more common place as we age. Our bodies are bombarded by Free Radicals some of which are necessary for good health such as Nitric Oxide a chemical compound naturally produced in the body which appears to be extremely important in maintaining normal blood pressure, cholesterol, and heart function; however it has been estimated that each cell in the body is assaulted by approximately 10,000 “Unstable” Free Radical hits every day. Most of the harmful Free Radicals produced in the body are a byproduct of the oxygen metabolism which takes place when oxygen is utilized to produce energy from food components. Unhealthy diets, food preservatives, smoking, air pollution, UV light, stress, and pretty much just plain living accumulates Oxidative Stress to one degree or another but we normally begin to notice the effects more acutely around age 40-50.
Antioxidants prevent unstable Free Radicals Cascades
Free Radicals are highly reactive atomically unbalanced molecules that cause damage to our cells similar to the way metal becomes rusty or fruit turns brown and spoils. This process is commonly known as oxidation. Fire, as we have been taught from grade school, is an extreme case of very rapid chemical oxidation at the atomic level and when fire rages out of control it can be very dangerous even deadly. So too can bio-cellular oxidation fuel abnormal cell production. I remember a loved one who after receiving a diagnosis of a malignant carcinoma lived only a short time afterward because “it spread like wild fire”. These deleterious chemical events accumulate over a period of time and manifest themselves in a plethora of physical ailments and maladies from acid reflux to chronic fatigue syndrome. Old age is usually accompanied by a variety of diseases which are directly related to these chemical reactions. According to Dr. Richard A. Passwater PH.D.“The most striking factor in the aging process is the bodies loss of reserve due to the decreasing number of healthy cells in each organ… Free-radical damage to the cell membrane can impair the cell’s ability to transport nutrients into the cell and the cell dies without replacing itself.” Also “Free radicals can damage the cell’s DNA so instead of the cell being replaced by another healthy daughter cell, the cell is replaced with a mutant that doesn’t function correctly.” [*1.]
Free Radicals damage normal cells
So then, Free Radical reactions left unchecked absolutely decreases the number of healthy active cells left in the body. I like the analogy of the light bulbs in an old theater marquee that burn out one at a time. In the beginning you can read it but as the bulbs begin to burn out it becomes more difficult and eventually the message is not discernible at all. So too, in the body, the cells of each organ decline but still function until they reach critical mass and the organ begins to shut down and eventually it’s “Lights Out”. Free-Radical Pathology and Aging is a relatively new field but it is gaining ground among research scientists; however many health professionals do not have the new information or the scientific studies that are now available.[*2.] Because it takes years for this type of research to reach the clinical field many health professionals still think that these diseases are simply the result of old age, or in some cases germs or viruses and therefore treat the symptoms and not the cause. 
The good news is that there is a new generation of “Super Antioxidants” that studies have shown are effective in neutralizing the devastating consequences of free radical damage and slow the onslaught of old age.
Ref/ [*1.] Live Better, Longer p.60 Dr.Richard A. Passwater Ph.D.
Ref/ [*2.] Liu, X., et al. French maritime pine bark extract pycnogenol dose-dependently lowers glucose in type 2 diabetic patients. Diabetes Care 27: 839, 2004.
Ref/ [*2.] http://journals.lww.com/cardiovascularpharm/Fulltext/1998/10000/Endothelium_Dependent_Vascular_Effects_of.1.aspx
