Antioxidants Are Essential for Life

Antioxidant supplements are the number one selling product on the planet. Antioxidant supplements remove the potentially damaging free radicals in living organisms. Natural sources of antioxidants include fresh vegetables and fruits that contain micronutrients and antioxidants that destroy the excess free radicals.

Free radicals are naturally produced when cells in the body burn oxygen to produce energy. We cannot avoid free radicals. They are caused internally by normal aerobic respiration and metabolism, and also by inflammation. Today there are additional sources. We now have toxicity from pollution, nutrient deficiencies and stress, all causing more free radical formation than the body can neutralize on its own.

Originally, the term antioxidant was used to refer to a chemical that prevented the consumption of oxygen. While life requires oxygen to live, oxygen is a highly reactive molecule. It damages living organisms by producing oxygen free radicals, also known as reactive oxygen species or ROS. But not all ROS are bad. Living organisms use ROS as part of a signaling process. To keep production of ROS at optimal levels, living organisms have an extensive and complex network of their own antioxidants.

Oxygen free radicals cause damage by producing free radicals. A free radical is an atom that loses an electron, so it becomes a free radical. In an effort to get its electron back, it steals from another, damaging it in the process. This is how free radicals cause cellular damage on the inside of the body, and create internal health problems. They also cause the outside of the body to age by forming wrinkles on the skin.

 The solution is antioxidants. Antioxidants work by donating an electron. This allows the antioxidants to capture and neutralize free radicals, stopping the chain reaction of electron loss. In the late 1990’s research revealed the reason that fruits and vegetables were able to act as antioxidants was their ability to transport and donate a negative hydrogen ion.

Negative hydrogen ions have been discovered to be the original antioxidant for all life forms on our planet, and are the most potent antioxidant we can ingest. All living organisms also use negative hydrogen to help generate energy on a cellular level.

Negative hydrogen, also known as active hydrogen is fragile and destroyed by processing, bleaching, blanching, milling, heat and prolonged exposure to air or prolonged storage. This is why it is best to eat fruits and vegetables in their fresh, raw state. Ideally only 20 – 25% of our food should be cooked, while 75-80% should be raw.

The excess free radical production occurring in the body from exposure to environmental toxins can no longer be handled by just consuming raw foods and supplemental antioxidants. Americans consume three pounds of oxidizing chemicals each year in the form of pesticides. Over 186,000 chemicals in the air, food, personal care products and water bombard Americans every day.

Add to this a diet of processed and cooked foods, since most people will not eat a raw food diet. This results in a very high free radical production, requiring even more antioxidants to neutralize all of the excess. There is another way to get more negative hydrogen into the body, just as our ancestors did.

Active hydrogen, as an antioxidant, is found naturally in high altitude glacial run off, wells and springs, but is inaccessible to most people. The most useful and common supplemental source of active hydrogen for almost 40 years in Japan, and the past 8 years in the USA has become “alkaline ionized water”, produced by Japanese medical equipment in the form of kitchen countertop water ionizers.

This active hydrogen, antioxidant water is the best source of antioxidants due to its large concentration of hydrogen ions. The Japanese refer to “alkaline ionized water” as medical grade water. The active hydrogen in “alkaline ionized water” donates an abundance of electrons to neutralize free radicals, leaving only water as the residue from the encounter.

Some medical experts feel that the Japanese have discovered the secret to staying young. Japanese “alkaline ionized water” has so many active hydrogen molecules, that they are visible as tiny bubbles in the water. This is why drinking a fresh glass of active hydrogen water can be equated to consuming a tableful of fresh fruits and vegetables in terms of antioxidant power.

Experts agree that antioxidants are the key to helping slow the aging process caused by free radical damage. Decrease toxic exposure and reduce nutritional deficiencies that contribute to free radical production. Increase consumption of antioxidant herbs, and eat fresh raw foods. For the greatest intake of antioxidants, drink Japanese “alkaline ionized water”.

To learn more about Japanese“alkaline ionized water” attend a Drink Yourself Healthy class at TLC Holistic Wellness in Livonia, Michigan. Classes are held weekly. Visit the Workshops tab for specific dates and times. Check out these websites for more information if unable to attend. Copyright 2012 Dr. Carol Ann Fischer, BS,DC,ND

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