Oxidative Stress and the Dangers
Oxidative stress has been linked to numerous health problems. Life is more stressful and complicated today than ever before. We fight to be able to provide for our families and to able to make the right choices in a world where information overload and conflicting information are a daily way of life. All of this takes a heavy toll on our bodies. We here a lot of talk about the importance of antioxidants in our diets and the use of additional antioxidant supplementation. This all makes sense, but how many people get tested for free radical damage in the body. How many doctors test for this? Not many and not enough I’m afraid. There is a simple in home lab test available which yields results in about 5 minutes, if anyone is interested, please contact me at the below email address. The test is inexpensive and comes with a consultation, contact me for details.
Oxidative stress may be linked to heart disease, cardiovascular disease. It is believed that oxidation of LDL can lead to plaque formation. Oxidative stress has also been shown to be a cause of chronic fatigue syndrome. I hear people complain of chronic fatigue almost on a daily basis. Oxidative stress has also been directly linked to the aging process causing age spots, sagging skin and wrinkles. This type of stress is also thought to contribute to the general decline of cellular function as a whole. Oxidative stress by definiton is when there is more free radical damage ocurring in the body than can be neutralized by the body and/or foods and/or anti-oxidant supplementation. This is why mangosteen is so important as the 60 plus xanthones equate to the most powerful antioxidants known to exist in nature
Oxidative stress is not a disease in and of itself, but as we now know is the precursor and contributor to many diseases and sicknesses. It is also thought that it can be an accelerant to current health challenges and conditions. It has been linked to some inflammatory and allergic skin diseases, Alzheimer’s, pregnancy loss, cancer, diabetes, and as mentioned, heart disease. Simply put, oxidative stress is an inbalance between our bodies production of reactive oxygen and our bodies ability to quickly repair the damage. This damage can affect all components of our bodies cells.
There are many foods that have been shown to have excellent properties, however without being tested for free radical damage in the body, how do we know if they are effective? We don’t, we have no idea. Antioxidant supplementation is widely available, but again, without testing, we have no clue as to the effectiveness. There is a lot of talk these days and controversy about the ORAC scale, developed by the National Institute of Aging in Baltimore., Md. This scale measures a particular known antioxidant’s ability to neutralize or absorb free radicals in the body.
An Interesting Related Article
As many of now know, the mangosteen fruit has shown to have powerful antioxidant properties, not only with the xanthones it contains but also catechins, specifically epicatechin, which per a Harvard Medical School study have been shown to reduce the risk of 4 of the major health problems we face today. I highly recommend getting tested for free radical damage as a starting point, adding mangosteen to your health regimen and then getting tested again in 60-90 days for free radical damage or can be termed oxidative stress.
You can contact me anytime at daveknop@comcast.net.
