The importance of antioxidants – My story
Today, I would like to talk about the importance, to our health, of antioxidants and tell you how they, powerfully, came to my attention.
You may be hearing more and more about the importance of taking antioxidants in your diet or through supplementation but aren’t sure why you need them or what they are.
I am looking at antioxidants in the context of anti-ageing, in my own personal quest to look and feel as young as possible, for as long as possible and doing it all naturally.
Insufficient antioxidants can lead to premature ageing along with, a weak immune system, low mental clarity, low energy levels and low libido.
Our bodies naturally generate some antioxidants, and certain foods also contain antioxidants, but new research shows that these sources may not provide sufficient antioxidant protection against a growing onslaught of free radical invaders.
Free radical attack is one of seven risk factors for premature ageing. The others are out-of-control blood sugar, sluggish detoxification, chronic inflammation, a declining immune system, prolonged stress and waning hormones.
Bear with me for a moment here, when you cut an apple in half and leave it out in the open for a while, it turns brown as a result of a process known as oxidation. Our bodies undergo a similar process of oxidation, it’s as if our bodies start to rust, as a result of attacks by ‘free radicals’. Free radicals are highly reactive compounds that damage the DNA in our cells, and are produced during our normal daily metabolic processes.
Anti-oxidants help to protect us against free radical attack.
Free radicals are a major cause of premature ageing and ill health, they weaken body tissue such as skin, blood vessels, and the brain.
Free-radical tissue damage can result in damaged DNA which can receive up to 70000 free radical hit’s in a single day, weakens your skins protective barrier, breaking down collagen and making you look older than your age, coronary heart disease, brain damage, cancer and many chronic degenerative disorders including arthritis and dementia.
Free radicals are increased in the body by cigarette smoke including passive smoking, environmental and air pollution, extreme ultraviolet light (including sunbeds), overly strenuous exercise, some prescription medications and ionizing radiation including mobile phones and mobile phone masts, computers and microwaves.
My eyes were opened to the importance of antioxidants two years ago when I was invited to a meeting with a group of scientists and business people who were looking at ageing from a different angle. They were challenging the status-quo on anti-ageing by going right to the source of ageing. As part of the meeting we were all tested on a machine called the Pharmanex Biophotonic Scanner which is a cutting edge testing tool that measures and provides immediate evidence of your antioxidant levels. It is safe to say that I was shocked and devastated by my results. In fact, I demanded a re-test, the results were the same! The test showed that my levels of antioxidants, my protection against free radical attack, was at a dangerously low level. My body was open to attack and fairly defenceless, although I had no obvious physical signs of illness, yet. I had always thought that I was a healthy person, I was shocked.
So I started on a comprehensive array of powerful antioxidants, in the form of dietary supplements, then had another test 18 months later. There was a significant improvement in my test score, my antioxidant levels had markedly gone up. I also feel better, my skin looks clearer and tighter, and I have now got bags of energy.
Considering the stresses and environmental exposures of modern day living, those of us who want to stay feeling and looking young as we get older will greatly benefit from having our levels of antioxidants tested and from antioxidant supplementation.
In the interest of full disclosure, I was so impressed with the test and supplements that they provided that I have since become actively involved with the company. The company is called Nuskin.