We hear a lot of talk about antioxidants: They’re powerful… they stop free radicals… they protect you...
That’s all true, but it’s certainly not the full picture.
The real deal? Antioxidants can keep you younger, stronger, and healthier for longer.
But in order for them to do that very important job, your body needs enough of them in a form it can easily use.
And when your body is able to put antioxidants to work, you’ll notice a difference in your overall health – both inside and out!
Antioxidants’ Nemesis…
How bad are free radicals for your body?
That’s a trick question – because free radicals aren’t all bad (surprising, right?!).
Free radicals – highly unstable and reactive molecules – are natural by-products of many important bodily functions, like converting food into energy or exercising.
Your body creates, uses, and needs free radicals to keep you healthy. Your immune system uses them to fight infectious bacteria and viruses. In some cases, free radicals act as cell messengers that pass along crucial signals.
To manage free radicals, your body also creates the antioxidants – mainly glutathione, the master antioxidant – necessary to keep them under control.
Your body has a solid plan in place, but…
The plan doesn’t take an overwhelming amount of environmental and dietary free radicals into account. And that’s where problems set in.
Free radicals can also come from:
- UV light exposure
- Cigarette smoke
- Pollution
- Sugary, starchy foods
- Certain medications
- Pesticides
- Environmental toxins
- Infectious pathogens (including bacteria and viruses)
You can see that excess free radicals are difficult to avoid. And a free radical overload can lead to significant cellular damage… and long-term, serious health problems.
When Free Radicals Attack
If your body gets overwhelmed by free radicals and your internal antioxidant supply can’t keep up, oxidative stress starts to attack and damage your cells – even your DNA.
Oxidative stress can lead to a lot of health issues including:
- Premature aging
- Hypertension (chronic high blood pressure)
- Age related macular degeneration (a leading cause of blindness)
- Cancer
- Incr