Antioxidants

[Havik]

I've got a quick question.

 

Does anyone know anything about antioxidant supplements ?

 

e.g. are they safe, what are the benefits and so on...

[zerostao]

the most powerful antioxidants on the planet are found in berries.

gogi berries, blue berries, black berries, pomegranate..most berries, fruits and vegetables and some nuts and seeds have good antioxidant levels.

green and white tea also.

[gendao]

In addition to all the currently well-known antioxidants, here's a few "new" ones being currently researched:

 

Astaxanthin may be the most powerful carotenoid antioxidant, particularly for the eyes.. You can get it from pinkish-reddish-colored ogranisms, particularly algae.

Our Astaxanthin product begins with the most highly concentrated natural source of astaxanthin, Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae.

Glutathione is another super-antioxidant that is naturally-produced in the human body.

It's the most important molecule you need to stay healthy and prevent disease -- yet you've probably never heard of it. It's the secret to prevent aging, cancer, heart disease, dementia and more, and necessary to treat everything from autism to Alzheimer's disease. There are more than 89,000 medical articles about it -- but your doctor doesn't know how address the epidemic deficiency of this critical life-giving molecule ...

 

What is it? I'm talking about the mother of all antioxidants, the master detoxifier and maestro of the immune system: GLUTATHIONE (pronounced "gloota-thigh-own").

 

The good news is that your body produces its own glutathione. The bad news is that poor diet, pollution, toxins, medications, stress, trauma, aging, infections and radiation all deplete your glutathione.

 

The secret of its power is the sulfur (SH) chemical groups it contains. Sulfur is a sticky, smelly molecule. It acts like fly paper and all the bad things in the body stick onto it, including free radicals and toxins like mercury and other heavy metals.

 

Glutathione is critical for one simple reason: It recycles antioxidants. You see, dealing with free radicals is like handing off a hot potato. They get passed around from vitamin C to vitamin E to lipoic acid and then finally to glutathione which cools off the free radicals and recycles other antioxidants. After this happens, the body can "reduce" or regenerate another protective glutathione molecule and we are back in business.

 

Glutathione is also the most critical and integral part of your detoxification system. All the toxins stick onto glutathione, which then carries them into the bile and the stool -- and out of your body.

 

9 Tips to Optimize your Glutathione Levels

 

1. Consume sulfur-rich foods. The main ones in the diet are garlic, onions and the cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, collards, cabbage, cauliflower, watercress, etc.).

2. Try bioactive whey protein. This is great source of cysteine and the amino acid building blocks for glutathione synthesis.

3. Exercise boosts your glutathione levels

4. N-acetyl-cysteine.

5. Alpha lipoic acid.

6. Methylation nutrients (folate and vitamins B6 and B12). These are perhaps the most critical to keep the body producing glutathione

7. Selenium. This important mineral helps the body recycle and produce more glutathione.

8. A family of antioxidants including vitamins C and E (in the form of mixed tocopherols), work together to recycle glutathione.

9. Milk thistle (silymarin) has long been used in liver disease and helps boost glutathione levels.

It can be boosted by taking precursors like cysteine or NAC (the stable form of the amino acid cysteine).

Cysteine is also found in most high-protein foods including pork, chicken, turkey, duck, luncheon meat, eggs, milk, whey protein, ricotta, cottage cheese, and yogurt, as well as red peppers, garlic, onions, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, oats, granola, wheat germ.

 

N-acetylcysteine or NAC is formed by replacing a hydrogen atom on cysteine with an acetyl group (CH3 CO). Current thinking is that NAC supplements are broken down in the gastro-intestinal tract and then reassembled inside cells. NAC has two primary functions in the body. First, it acts as an antioxidant which protects cells from free radical damage. Much of this function is due to the fact that NAC is a key constituent of glutathione which is composed of three amino acids — cysteine, glutamic acid, and glycine. Glutathione is found in all human tissues, with the highest concentrations found in the liver and eyes. As a potent antioxidant, glutathione protects tissues from the damaging effects of free radicals. The antioxidant activity of glutathione is attributed specifically to the presence of cysteine in the compound . The second function of NAC supports detoxification especially in the liver.

Edited March 3, 2011 by vortex

[Havik]

the most powerful antioxidants on the planet are found in berries.

gogi berries, blue berries, black berries, pomegranate..most berries, fruits and vegetables and some nuts and seeds have good antioxidant levels.

green and white tea also.

 

Well its obivous with berries and green/white tea, but I never thought of nuts and seeds.

[Havik]

In addition to all the currently well-known antioxidants, here's a few "new" ones being currently researched:

 

Astaxanthin may be the most powerful carotenoid antioxidant, particularly for the eyes.. You can get it from pinkish-reddish-colored ogranisms, particularly algae.

Glutathione is another super-antioxidant that is naturally-produced in the human body.It can be boosted by taking precursors like cysteine or NAC (the stable form of the amino acid cysteine).

 

Too new for me but very interesting article. I'll try it someday.