Antioxidants:Third article in Series
Let’s look at three of the five network antioxidants: Vitamin C is the most studied antioxidant, so it should not be surprising that we know more about what it can do. Vitamin C boosts the body’s immunity by strengthening the thymus and lymph glands. The best sources of Vitamin C is tropical fruits, such as papaya and kiwi, but the more readily available citrus fruits, like grapefruits and oranges, are good sources of vitamin C as well. Perhaps because of vitamin E’s reputation of increasing sexual stamina, some people literally go ‘nuts’ for it. All kinds of nuts, but especially almonds, are an excellent source of vitamin E, as are sunflower seeds. Cooking oils contain even more of this essential vitamin than nuts, but they are high in calories, and too much too often can lead to or add to a weight problem. Glutathione: Dr. Richard Passwater states that “(within the cell where the real toxic war is being waged, the most important antioxidant is glutathione.” This powerful antioxidant is a sulfur-containing tripeptide formed in the body from three amino acids: Cysteine (a sulfur- containing amino acid), glutamic acid, and glycine. Glutathione helps both to prevent numerous diseases and, in doing so, to slow the aging process. One of the key discoveries in understanding the importance of glutathione was that glutathione levels tend to be lower in older people. The decline in glutathione levels can be seen as early as age forty. By the age sixty- five, half of the people showed a deficiency of glutathione, leading to greater susceptibility to all kinds of disease, especially cancer. On the other hand, older people who have maintained high glutathione levels have longer, healthier lives with less occurrence of cancer. Taking glutathione supplements is a waste of money because Glutathione cannot be absorbed by the body intact. It must be manufactured in the cell itself. (The super Antioxidants by James F. Balch, M.D.) We will discuss lipoic acid, and Coenzyme Q10 (Co Q10) next month.