Antioxidants - Are They Really Necessary


by Dean Carlson - Date: 2006-12-08 - Word Count: 761 Share This!

I recently had the privilege of listening to Dr. Peter W. Rugg, a board certified MD in both emergency and internal medicine, speak about Antioxidants and the role they play in cellular health. This is one high energy doctor who practices what he preaches. As an aside, let me tell you a story about my (former) doctor. This was a number of years ago, and I was in pretty poor health. I tried to head him off at the pass by saying "I know, I know, I need to lose about 20 pounds" (It was more like 50, but oh well). He shocks me by replying "Oh, you're not that bad, we all need to lose a few pounds". If your doctor is 40 pounds overweight and a chain smoker, it's time to find a new MD.

Back to Dr. Rugg and his presentation. He was moving fast, but I'll try to highlight some of the things that struck me as important.

Our bodies are primed for health, but you have to be proactive. Health is not a freebie. You don't necessarily feel it when you start getting disease. After all, what does arteriosclerosis, heart disease, or diabetes feel like? Over 70% of people in North America die of chronic disease, yet Dr. Rugg said studies show 90% of diabetes and 60-70% of heart disease is preventable.

So what are the risk factors for chronic disease? Here are four he named:

1. Chronic Inflammation

2. Obesity

3. Poor exercise habits

4. Poor diet

Where do antioxidants fit in? Dr. Rugg stated that oxidative stress is a common factor to all chronic disease. He defined oxidative stress as a chemical imbalance that promotes oxidation of your tissues. Oxidation is the same reaction that causes metal to rust. It doesn't sound like something we want happening inside our bodies, now does it?

Dr. Rugg pointed out that our bodies do have internal repair mechanisms to combat this oxidative stress, including our immune system. Unfortunately these repair mechanisms are limited and can't overcome high levels of oxidation and free radical formation. He suggested the following to help avoid and overcome these problems:

- Avoid fried foods

- Avoid trans-fats

- Bolster your antioxidant supplementation.

Dr. Rugg said that antioxidants help prevent the formation of free radicals, and they help quench them before they can cause damage. He pointed out that antioxidants require trace minerals such as copper, iron and selenium to work.

The antioxidants he mentioned specifically were Vitamin C, CoEnzyme Q10, and Beta-Carotene. He said supplementation of these is necessary because it is nearly impossible to get enough in our diets.

Dr. Rugg then spoke about EFA, or Essential Fatty Acids. He cited a study that showed that EFA's are more effective than statin drugs in treatment of heart disease. Other great benefits include:

- Stabilization of cell membranes

- Increased muscle recovery

- Decrease inflammatory effects of exercise

- Insulin sensitivity is enhanced

- Elevates growth hormone

As if this wasn't enough to convince us of how important antioxidants are in our diet, he then outlined what he tells individuals when they ask "Why should I take supplements?"

1. Good nutrition is a requirement for long term health

2. The North American diet falls short of the good nutrition required

3. The health benefits of supplementation have been verified

4. Supplementation is a convenient and effective means for obtaining advanced levels of nutrition.

Dr. Rugg points out that the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) is the minimum required for disease prevention; we are looking for optimal results.

Another interesting point Dr. Rugg brought up was that as a med student he learned nearly nothing about nutrition. He didn't really study nutrition at all until his wife started taking supplements; he was impressed by the positive results he saw, and he wanted to learn more. He now believes everyone should take quality supplements appropriate for them. He said most doctors just don't understand the difference between a good supplement and stuff off the shelf; they listen to pharmaceutical reps all day.

Let me point out that supplementation can't cover for a lousy diet. You can't eat bacon double cheeseburgers all day, pop a vitamin, and call it even. That said, it is very difficult to get optimal levels of nutrition on a consistent basis through diet alone. I eat a very clean diet, and I can personally attest that when I started taking a good multivitamin/mineral supplement, it made a big difference in the way I feel. Take another look at what Dr. Rugg said about EFA's. If you are doing any kind of exercise program, these are huge when it comes to your ability to recover, and I wouldn't be without.


Related Tags: fitness, health, nutrition, vitamin, antioxidant. supplement, mineral

About Dean: Fed up with the way he looked and felt, Dean Carlson decided enough was enough. After wading through the conflicting diet and fitness information, and through much trial and error, he found himself 80 pounds lighter and with a new outlook on life. His desire to help other people get healthy and fit without going it alone led him to start Cr8 Health & Fitness, where he shares his knowledge and passion for fitness with others looking to get off the diet roller coaster.

Dean is a Certified Professional Fitness Trainer with the National Exercise and Sports Trainer Association.

Website: www.cr8health.com

Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles

© The article above is copyrighted by it's author. You're allowed to distribute this work according to the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs license.
 

Recent articles in this category:



Most viewed articles in this category: