Antioxidants:Second article in Series
There is common knowledge that scientific evidence demonstrates that those of us that eat a diet rich in antioxidants and take antioxidant supplements will live longer, healthier lives.
Scientists have known about the existence of antioxidants for many years but only recently have they understood what they do, how they do it and how to tap into their incredible power. Scientists believed in the past that each antioxidant worked separately in the body, independently of others. We now know this isn’t true – there is a dynamic interplay among certain key antioxidants. Dr. Lester Packer refers to this interplay as the antioxidant network and to the chemical players as the network antioxidants.
Although there are literally hundreds of antioxidants, only five appear to be network antioxidants: Vitamins C and E, glutathione, lipoic acid, and Coenzyme Q10 (Co Q10). Vitamins C and E are not produced in the body but must be obtained through food. Glutathione, lipoic acid, and CoQ10 are produced by the body, but levels of these antioxidants decline as we age. That is why we need to supplement all of them. What makes network antioxidants so special is that they can greatly enhance the power of one another. As a result, they are particularly effective in slowing down the aging process and boosting the body’s ability to fight disease. The antioxidant network is a shield that protects the body against the forces that age us before our time and rob years from our lives.
Next month we will start to discuss, in length the five network antioxidants.

A six-year study at the University of Washington and other sites shows that cases of acute liver failure caused by acetaminophen rose to 51% of all cases in 2003. Unintentional overdosing accounted for half of the liver failures. The makers of Tylenol, the most popular acetaminophen medicine, have gone on television to urge people to follow their directions.

The normally safe pain medication is used by 36% of Americans at least once a month. They warn consumers not to exceed 4,000 mg within a 24-hour period. That would be eight 500 mg tablets, capsules, or gel caps.

Men who drank more than one-and-a half ounces of alcohol per day in addition to taking acetaminophen were more vulnerable to liver failure. (article in the Phoenix Republic 12/06)