Total Physique Online

Dr. Mauro G. Di Pasquale: Antioxidants
Reprinted with kind permission from Dr. Mauro G. Di Pasquale
From MetabolicDiet.com

Antioxidants form a front line defense against cell damage caused by free radicals, which are involved in damage to all systems in the body and in the aging process.

It’s always been my view that ONE of the effective means of protecting ourselves from various endogenous and exogenous insults (including stress, free radicals, poor diet, and environmental chemicals and pollutants, including mercury and other heavy metals) is by using a complimentary combination of antioxidants.

In a recently published review the author found that antioxidant vitamin and trace element intakes have been shown to be particularly important in the prevention of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, age related ocular diseases and in aging. In animal models, targeted interventions have been associated with reduction of tissue destruction is brain and myocardium ischemia-reperfusion models. In the critically ill antioxidant supplements have resulted in reduction of organ failure and of infectious complications.¹

Antioxidants, such as beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, zinc, reduced glutathione, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), L-Cysteine, Coenzyme Q10, alpha lipoic acid, ginkgo biloba, burdock, silymarin, and turmeric, all present in ReNew, can play an important role in reducing inflammation, and decreasing tissue and organ damage.

As such, along with other support such as decreasing inflammation and glycation in the body, the use of antioxidants should increase health and longevity. Up until now there’s been little direct evidence of the usefulness of antioxidants in slowing the aging process.

However, a study in press by and to be published soon in Science, shows that increasing the amount of antioxidants naturally produced in the body and directing those molecules to where they’re needed can dramatically slow the aging process.²

In this study, mice genetically engineered to produce a human antioxidant enzyme lived longer than normal mice. This provides us with the best proof to date that antioxidants can counteract the effects of aging and disease.

While this study is not about the use of antioxidant supplements, I feel it’s only a matter of time until we show that taking a variety of antioxidants will also increase health and lifespan. Prevention at this point, rather than waiting until we have definitive proof and losing the benefits, is definitely the way to go.

I stress using a variety of antioxidants since dozens of studies have shown that antioxidants, while uniquely different from one another, have a synergistic effect when used together. By combining these various lipid-and water soluble nutrients you can achieve multiple levels of protection.

Various inflammatory diseases are helped by the use of combinations of antioxidants. For example asthma, and particularly exercise induced asthma, in which exercise in increasing oxidative stress impacts further on the preexisting oxidative and inflammatory phenotype of those prone to asthma, have been shown to respond favorably to a number of antioxidants.

Acute episodes of asthma, regardless of cause, are associated with increased oxidative stress,3 , 4 and have been shown to respond favorably to alpha-lipoic acid, vitamins C and E, and selenium, as well as other anti-inflammatory ingredients such as DHA and EPA. ^{5,6, 7,8, 9, 10, 11}

But there’s more to the story. In order to improve health, decrease disease, and increase lifespan you have to look at more than just the antioxidants. You also have to look at the underlying causes that drive many diseases and age us before out times.

And that’s what ReNew does. It’s formulated to reduce stress related abnormalities and dysfunction, including depression, over-training and physical/mental burnout, normalize the metabolic processes in the body and support the central nervous, hormonal and immune systems.

As such, ReNew plays an important role in increasing health and longevity, and decreasing physical and mental stress, disease and the effects of aging.

References:

1. Berger MM. Can oxidative damage be treated nutritionally? Clin Nutr. 2005; 24(2):172-83.
2. Schriner, S.E. . . . and P.S. Rabinovitch. In press. Extension of murine lifespan by an overexpression of catalase targeted to mitochondria. Science 2005.
3. Bowler RP. Oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of asthma. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2004; 4(2):116-22.
4. Nadeem A, Raj HG, Chhabra SK. Increased oxidative stress in acute exacerbations of asthma. Journal Asthma. 2005; 42(1):45-50.
5. Cho YS, Lee J, Lee TH, Lee EY, Lee KU, Park JY, Moon HB. alpha-Lipoic acid inhibits airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness in a mouse model of asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2004; 114(2):429-35.
6. Pearson PJ, Lewis SA, Britton J, Fogarty A. Vitamin E supplements in asthma: a parallel group randomised placebo controlled trial. Thorax. 2004; 59(8):652-6.
7. Romieu I, Sienra-Monge JJ, Ramirez-Aguilar M, et al. Antioxidant supplementation and lung functions among children with asthma exposed to high levels of air pollutants. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2002; 166(5):703-9.
8. Banerjee AK, Mandal A, Chanda D, Chakraborti S. Oxidant, antioxidant and physical exercise. Mol Cell Biochem. 2003; 253(1-2):307-12.
9. Allam MF, Lucane RA. Selenium supplementation for asthma. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2004;(2):CD003538.
10. Nagel G, Linseisen J. Dietary intake of fatty acids, antioxidants and selected food groups and asthma in adults. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2005; 59(1):8-15.
11. Wong KW. Clinical efficacy of n-3 fatty acid supplementation in patients with asthma. J Am Diet Assoc. 2005; 105(1):98-105.