Download Guide to Antioxidants and Free Radicals

The Balance of Power
By: Theodore Hersh, M.D., AGAF, MACG and W.Barkin, J.D.
Copyright
Thione International, Inc.
Atlanta, Georgia 30305
(404) 846-9331 (t) (404) 841-6497 (f)
E-mail: [email protected]
[email protected]
www.thione.com
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Introduction
In this brochure, you will read about “free radicals” and “antioxidants” and how
they affect the aging process and your overall health. More importantly, you will learn
which group of antioxidants are vital for bolstering YOUR natural antioxidant defenses,
giving your body exactly what it needs to reduce the risk of many free radical related
chronic diseases.
You will learn why taking “mega-doses” of a single antioxidant (such as vitamins
A, C or E) is undesirable and may even be detrimental to your health. For now, just
know that these molecules may accumulate as “pro-oxidants” and cause damage to your
organs unless they are neutralized or regenerated back to their antioxidant form.
We also reveal and explain to you in detail what we believe to be one of the best
kept secrets to living longer and healthier, the body’s main antioxidant and defender
glutathione, together with the trace mineral selenium, its partner in protecting the body.
There are many new “buzz” words that we use here and we are going to explain
and define all of them. When we are done, you will see the impact this information can
have on your life and how it can be used to improve the health of yourself and that of
your loved ones.
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Summary Overview
What are free radicals?
Free radicals are toxic chemicals that are created during normal metabolic functions that
keep us alive and healthy. Like a car creates toxic pollutants as a by-product of burning
fuel, your body does the same when it burns fuel to keep you alive. Excessive free
radicals also result when we overtax our bodies from factors such as stress, excessive
alcohol consumption, eating fatty foods, smoking cigarettes, secondhand tobacco
exposure and obesity. Even a good thing, like exercising, results in countless free
radicals being created inside our bodies. Many environmental factors, such as sunlight
and air pollutants, also cause harmful free radicals, consequently causing aging of the
skin, including wrinkles.
Exactly what kind of damage do free radicals cause?
When an abundance of free radicals overwhelms the body’s natural defense system, this
attack results in a damaging process to our tissues, organs and blood molecules referred
to as “oxidative stress.” This type of damage has been linked to the development and
progression of many chronic diseases. By causing damage to cell membranes and DNA,
free radicals have been found to be a direct cause of premature aging, immune
disorders and over 50 chronic diseases, including heart and lung diseases, cancer,
diabetes and geriatric diseases like Alzheimer’s.
How do we protect against free radical damage?
Many toxic free radicals are by-products of the body using oxygen. Just like a peeled
apple starts to spoil and turn brown when exposed to oxygen in the air, oxidative stress
causes our bodies to “rust” and then not function properly, allowing disease to occur.
Since we must have oxygen to live, but oxidative stress can lead to disease or even
death, scientists often refer to this as the “paradox of life”. However, the body has a
built-in defense system against free radicals – antioxidants.
Antioxidants scavenge and neutralize free radicals, making them less toxic or even
harmless. It is really quite simple. One antioxidant attacks one free radical. However,
when the body is overwhelmed by free radicals, i.e., when it just does not have enough
antioxidants to combat all of the free radicals swarming the body, an imbalance between
antioxidants and free radicals occurs, with free radicals getting the upper hand. This is
when the body goes into oxidative stress, leaving it susceptible to disease. Thus, in
order to stay healthy, it is critical that we maintain a balance of power in our bodies
between our antioxidant stores and the free radicals within.
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How do we build up our antioxidant defenses?
As you can see, having adequate stores of antioxidants is important to reducing the risk
of developing many chronic diseases. The body’s antioxidant defenses can be bolstered
by increasing the consumption of dietary antioxidants either in the form of fresh fruits
and vegetables or through properly formulated nutritional supplements. Since studies
show that less than 10% of the United States population consumes the recommended
five to nine daily servings of fruits and vegetables, an effective nutritional supplement
should be added by most individuals to complement and maintain vital antioxidant
stores.
How should we decide which nutritional supplement to buy?
Based on our research, we recommend that a nutritional supplement incorporate the
same cellular antioxidants and minerals that work together inside the body, mimicking
as closely as possible, the exact way your body works to fight off free radical related
diseases and the aging process. Specifically, we believe a properly formulated nutritional
supplement must include “glutathione” as the key ingredient for maximum antioxidant
potential along with its synergistic partners, selenium and vitamins C and E. These
nutrients work together to form the cell’s regenerating antioxidant complex inside the
body. This antioxidant complex then joins together with antioxidant enzymes that are
made in the body from proteins consumed in our diet to fully comprise the body’s
antioxidant defense system against free radicals inside the body.
What is glutathione? What makes it so unique?
Glutathione is the body’s secret defense and main antioxidant defender.
Though many people are only now beginning to learn about glutathione, it is a
remarkable molecule that is present in nearly all of our cells and works together with
other cellular antioxidants. Without glutathione, cells cannot survive and you die. The
body obtains glutathione from the diet and can also make it from its amino acid building
blocks. Known by scientists as the “master antioxidant”, glutathione, working with
selenium, acts as the body’s “hub” on the antioxidant wheel, with “spokes” including
other natural substances like vitamin C, vitamin E, and other antioxidant enzymes.
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More on Free Radicals and Related Medical Conditions
Free radicals come in many different chemical forms, but their common denominator is
that each has an “unpaired” electron or more that results in unstable molecules. To
remedy this situation, the free radical aggressively searches the body for a proton
partner that will allow it to become a stable, neutral molecule again. When it locates an
acceptable “mate”, it steals it from a compound in the body such as proteins, lipids or
DNA (unless, of course, it is first neutralized by the antioxidants at that site). In doing
so, the free radical destabilizes a “healthy” molecule and creates another free radical,
starting a dangerous chain reaction of enhanced cellular destruction.
Many free radicals are related to the oxygen molecule and are by-products of our use of
oxygen in the energy cycle. In our bodies, these “pro-oxidants” cause the same type of
oxidative damage that we observe watching a peeled apple decay and turn brown or a
car rust when the underlying metal is exposed to oxygen. Our organs experience the
same decay and erosion over time from unchecked free radicals.
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Exercise and Free Radicals
Even a healthy and necessary activity, exercise, produces free radicals because of the
increased activity of the skeletal and cardiac muscles, and increases in the respiratory
rate of these tissues. Trained individuals, who exercise regularly, have created
increased antioxidant stores over time and thus are better protected during exercise
than the untrained individual. As such, so called “weekend warriors” or occasional
exercisers are more susceptible to free radical damage and need even greater
antioxidant protection, particularly on exercise days.
◊ BREAKING NEWS ◊
Harvard Medical School on Free Radicals and Drugs. In an article
published by the Harvard Medical School, they write that the FDA’s
suggestion that Naproxen (Alleve) should not be taken for extended
periods of time (more than 10 days) is important to note because any
drug that has toxicity and free radical generating potential in the human
body should not be consumed for prolonged periods. Cardiovascular
disease, inflammations, cancers, arthritis and many chronic illnesses can
be traced to free radical activity as the causative factor.
The healthy and young human body has a good antioxidant defense
mechanism against free radical activity. It is comprised largely of natural
antioxidants and vitamins that keep check on the free radicals in the
body. However, in older people there is a reduction in enzyme and
vitamin activity and the antioxidant defenses naturally become less
efficient. The absorption of vitamins and minerals drops after the age of
40. By age 40, the enzyme levels drop by 50%. At 50, it drops to 10%
and by 70, the enzyme level is only at 5% of the peak levels during the
prime of youth.
Thus, with advancing age, the repair mechanisms at the molecular level
are slow, while excess free radical scavenging activity is extremely low.
At this stage, there is accumulation of free radicals in the body that can
lead to abnormal functions in cells while the aging process sets in and the
body may suffer a host of degenerative illnesses. The writers at Harvard
Medical School note that a broad range of antioxidants can remove this
oxidative stress and reduce the damaging effects of free radicals.
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Stopping the Progress of Free Radical Destruction
To fight free radical “pro-oxidants,” your body needs antioxidants. Antioxidants keep
free radicals from causing oxidation damage by neutralizing their chemical structure and
thus, stabilizing these toxic substances. As we age, the increased levels of free radicals
overwhelm the antioxidant defenses. If you do not make an adjustment to restore your
body’s antioxidant supply, you may be vulnerable to the onset and progression of the
many chronic diseases and immune deficiency linked to free radical damage.
How do I choose the right antioxidants?
The term “antioxidant” is becoming more and more commonplace in our vocabulary.
We read about them in books and newspapers, see them added to “functional” foods we
purchase at the grocery store and listen to advertisements promoting them in our skin
care and hair care products. We are learning about the antioxidant benefits of
everything from tea to chocolate to wine. They are critical components of anti-aging
products.
While awareness of antioxidants is becoming more widespread, most individuals do not
know that all antioxidants are not created equal. It is true that each antioxidant can
neutralize a free radical, but subsequently, certain antioxidants can become free
radicals themselves. Therefore, getting an abundance of certain antioxidants can
prove more damaging than the damage you were trying to prevent in the first place!
Most simply, antioxidants that we get from either diet or supplements can be divided
into two classes, the cellular and the exogenous:
Cellular Antioxidants: This group includes nutrients that are REQUIRED by the cells
in the body to function normally. The principal antioxidants in the cellular group are
glutathione, vitamins C and E, selenomethionine and the carotenoids (carotene, lutein,
zeaxanthin). Other cellular antioxidants include enzymes made in our body from amino
acid building blocks such as glutathione peroxidase and reductase, superoxide dismutase
and catalase to name but a few.
This group is the preferred source of antioxidants, for many reasons, but especially
because the body recognizes them as part of its own and will store them for recurring
use.
Exogenous Antioxidants: This group includes nutrients that are NOT REQUIRED by
the body to function normally. Examples of these prominent antioxidants include
botanical compounds and foods containing bioflavanoids, catechins, proanthocyanidins
and lycopene, such as grape seed and grape skin extracts, green tea, gingko biloba,
rosemary, berry extracts and others.
Exogenous antioxidants do their job of neutralizing a free radical, but they are rapidly
excreted by the body as they are foreign compounds that are not part of the cell’s own
antioxidant defense system. This makes exogenous antioxidants less useful than cellular
antioxidants, which remain in our cells and function continuously.
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Even though cellular antioxidants are superior to their exogenous counterparts, focusing
on getting one or two cellular antioxidants (example vitamin C or vitamin E) is not as
desirable as consuming the synergistic group of cellular antioxidants. For example,
vitamins C and E are important and essential antioxidants, but after a molecule of these
vitamins neutralizes a free radical, they too become a free radical and need to be
regenerated. In order to avoid becoming free radicals and to regain their antioxidant
ability, vitamin C needs glutathione to regenerate itself and vitamin E needs both
glutathione and vitamin C to be restored. Selenium’s role is to partner with various
enzymes to help recycle these vitamins. To summarize, in order to keep our
antioxidant defense system functioning effectively at all times, all of these
cellular antioxidants need to be present in the cell.
The Body’s Secret Defense against Free Radical Damage….
When people think of antioxidants, what typically comes to mind is beta-carotene,
vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E and other highly publicized nutrients. However,
relatively few consumers are aware of the most important antioxidant used by our
bodies, L-glutathione.
Glutathione is present in every cell in our bodies, without it we would die. It is often
referred to as the “master antioxidant.” Glutathione is composed of three amino acids:
glutamate, cysteine and glycine. Working inside and outside of cells, glutathione, its
related enzymes and selenium, act as the body’s key antioxidant, detoxificant and
protectant. It is the gatekeeper in the respiratory tract and lining of the gut and has
multiple functions in disease prevention and in detoxification of chemicals and drugs.
Conversely, depletion of glutathione is associated with increased risks of toxicity, disease
and poorer health.
Glutathione acts as the body’s “hub” on the antioxidant wheel, acting synergistically with
“spokes” including other natural substances like vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium and Nacetyl-L-cysteine. We get glutathione through dietary intake of vegetables, fruits, meat
and fish. Vegetables with the highest concentrations of glutathione include avocado,
asparagus and squash. Fruits rich in glutathione are watermelon, grapefruit and
strawberries (see charts below). Chicken is very high in glutathione content and this
may truly account for chicken soup’s legendary medicinal benefits!
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Glutathione is vital for cell survival and yet its concentrations readily decrease with age,
when we need it the most. Low glutathione levels place healthy elderly subjects at a
higher risk of disease because of the decreased ability to deal with metabolic and
environmental conditions that increase toxic free radicals, where glutathione is the
body’s prime defender.
The case for ensuring that our bodies have ample amounts of glutathione is strong and
growing. Eating a diet rich in glutathione, preferably from fruits and vegetables is
strongly encouraged. If you are (i) part of the more than 90% of the United States
population that consumes less than the recommended five to nine daily servings of fruits
and vegetables, or (ii) have a lifestyle that encourages free radical creation (stress, over
ideal weight, smoking, alcohol consumption) or (iii) otherwise at a high risk of free
radical damage, you should consider supplementing your diet with a properly formulated
nutritional supplement featuring glutathione and its related synergistic cellular partners
to help promote a longer, healthier lifespan.
Introducing the Patented Thione Complex™
Dr. Theodore Hersh, M.D., a medical doctor, used his 30 years as a clinician and
researcher to recognize the benefits of having an antioxidant dietary supplement
formulated around glutathione and selenium, plus its synergistic cellular partners,
vitamins C and E. He has been granted numerous patents by the U.S Government for
this formulation (now known as the Thione Complex™), its delivery system and for
specific clinical applications.
The Thione Complex™ pairs glutathione with its synergistic cellular partner, selenium,
because each needs the other to perform their vital functions in the body. Selenuim
helps glutathione produce a number of critical enzymes, including glutathione
peroxidase, and helps glutathione regenerate Vitamin C. Working with other antioxidant
enzymes, selenium is also considered to be a potent anti-carcinogen and may reduce
the risk of certain cancers. Glutathione, in turn, regenerates selenium into an
antioxidant when it is spent.
How is Thione’s nutritional supplement different from other
antioxidant supplements?
Even a great formulation would have limited value if the ingredients cannot get where
they need to go. Besides being the only formulation to replicate the body’s own cellular
antioxidant defense system, Thione’s nutritional supplement uses the patent protected
Thione Complex™ has a novel oral delivery system, a lozenge formulated to dissolve in
the mouth to maximize absorption of the synergistic cellular partners (it should be
sucked on like a candy and allowed to dissolve slowly). This lozenge delivery system
allows the key ingredients to be absorbed directly into your blood stream efficiently
through the mouth’s buccal cells, effectively bypassing the gastrointestinal tract, where
bioavailability of the key ingredients could be reduced.
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