Oxidative Stress:
How to Prevent this Leading Cause of Early
Aging and Disease
Do you want to prevent premature aging, illness and disease? Then
you need to
lower your oxidative stress. Find out how the antioxidant-rich Body
Ecology
program can help!
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Antioxidants... you've heard a lot about them, but do you know why
they are so great for your health?
Antioxidants are key because they can prevent and heal the damage of one
of the leading causes of disease and aging that you may never hear about:
oxidative stress.
Oxidative Stress
Oxidative stress (often called OS) is what happens
when your body does not have enough antioxidants to neutralize free radicals.
Free radicals are the unstable molecules that react with other substances
in your body to damage cells or create abnormal ones. Free radicals are unavoidable
and are created naturally as your body performs its everyday functions. In
fact, they are even necessary for some processes.
To find out more about oxidative stress, we talked to Dr. Leonard Smith,
a renowned gastrointestinal, vascular and general surgeon as well as an expert
in the use of nutrition and natural supplementation. According to Dr. Smith,
there is always a dynamic balance between the number of antioxidants and the
number of free radicals in your body, called the redox state of the cell.
The redox state is like the voltage of a battery.
Too high or too low of a voltage and the battery doesn't function properly.
Likewise, too high or too low of cellular redox states, and cells will
prematurely age and become dysfunctional.
When the redox state is not at an optimal level, it can age cell membranes,
destroy enzymes and harm your DNA.1
The tissue damage and cellular mutation that result from excess free radicals
are directly linked to:
- Cancer
- Heart disease
- Premature aging
- Alzheimer's disease
But there's good news for Body Ecology followers: diet and lifestyle changes
can keep free radicals in check while you stay healthy and young!
Leonard Smith, M.D., is a renowned gastrointestinal, vascular and general
surgeon as well as an expert in the use of nutrition and natural supplementation.
For the past 20 years, Dr. Smith has investigated many holistic medical
programs, including nutrition, exercise, chelation, stress management
and the relevance of mental and spiritual attitudes in healing.
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Fighting Free Radicals
One of the easiest ways to reduce your oxidative stress and enhance your
immunity is to fight free radicals.
There are many different processes and substances that chronically damage
cells and contribute to oxidative stress including:
- Toxic chemical compounds and pollutants in your body
- Hydrogenated fats
- All kinds of pollution , including air, water, and food
- Oils
that have been heated to very high temperatures
- Cigarette smoke, directly inhaled or secondhand
- Dehydration
- Too much sugar
- Too much animal protein in your diet
- Geophysical stress like living near power lines or waste dumps
- Microbial imbalance, including bacterial, fungal and viral infections
- Preservatives in your food
- Drugs
(over the counter and prescription)
- Artificial food colorings and flavorings
- Plastics and phthalates
- Chemical cleaning supplies
- Chlorinated water that you drink, shower in or swim in
- Alcohol
- Pesticides in your food
- Radiation exposure
- Psychological and emotional
stress
Your body generates free radicals every day, but you don't have to let free
radical damage cause premature aging and disease!
Avoiding the substances and behaviors listed above that cause free
radical production is one of the easiest ways to fight free radical damage.
Antioxidants vs. Oxidative Stress
Another way to protect yourself from free radical damage is by consuming
natural antioxidants.
Antioxidants are your key to reducing oxidative stress.
Vitamin E, polyphenols, beta-carotene and other vitamins are all potent antioxidants
that protect you from free radical damage and improve your health and immunity.
Yes, there are many supplements that provide antioxidants, but the Body
Ecology diet is a great source of superior antioxidants.
Probiotic-rich Dong Quai is a fermented drink loaded with antioxidants
that balances female hormones, aids prostate health and is full of anti-aging
properties! Protect yourself from oxidative stress and try Dong
Quai today!
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Dr. Smith recommends the Body
Ecology Diet because it is high in fermented, raw and cooked organic plant
foods, it is naturally low in sugar, and it includes a balance of a moderate
amount of organic animal products and whole grain-like seeds. The real stars
of The Diet are our fermented
foods and liquids and our Vitality SuperGreen. You can expect these foods
to provide the following:
- Optimum amounts of minerals and enzymes
- A natural and wide variety of plant antioxidants
- Beneficial microflora
(good bacteria and yeasts)
- A significant improvement in digestion to provide you with an optimum
balance of protein, carbohydrates and high quality fats
Dr. Smith points out that the nutrients from the Body Ecology diet literally
interact with your genes to promote the natural production of intracellular
antioxidant enzymes: superoxide dismutase and catalase,which
are critical to maintaining a healthy redox state.
With a healthy Body Ecology lifestyle and diet, you can balance your cellular
redox.
The results?
You may slow down and even reverse the aging process while your improved
cellular redox state contributes to better overall physical and psycho-emotional
health... and a more productive life.
The Body Ecology system for health and healing is unique because it focuses
on healing your digestion and boosting your immunity. With optimal digestion,
you can better assimilate all of the antioxidants in the foods and drinks
on the Body Ecology program.
Even better, Body Ecology emphasizes fermented
foods and drinks. These probiotic-rich foods and drinks have many health
and anti-aging benefits.
Most of all, fermented foods and drinks aid your digestion and increase
the nutrients by hundreds of times. This is important when you are focusing
on boosting your intake of antioxidants!
With healthy digestion, your body will be able to fully absorb and use the
antioxidants you take in as well as manufacture vitamins on its own to protect
you from oxidative stress!
Natural Health, Natural Youth - Babies to Baby Boomers and Beyond
No matter what your age, the Body Ecology diet is full of the antioxidants
you need to fight free radical formation and avoid the dangers of oxidative
stress.
In fact, Donna Gates and Doctor Smith will be addressing the special concerns
of the Baby Boomer generation, including how to prevent and reverse premature
aging and disease in an upcoming book ... keep watching this newsletter for
details!
Sources:
Byrnes, Stephen, "Staying on Top of Oxidative Stress," WestonAPrice.org.
http://www.westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/oxidativestress.html
2 Daniells, Stephen, "Vit E may protect male smokers from oxidative
stress, study," NutraIngredients.com, 17 Nov 2006.
"New Evidence Points to Role for Free Radicals in Alzheimer's Disease,"
ScienceDaily.com. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/12/981209080830.htm.
Fayed, Lisa, "Antioxidants and Cancer," About.com.
http://cancer.about.com/od/alternativetreatments/a/antioxidants.htm
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