| As you know, I am a physician. It's part of | | | | inside the car without further damage. They |
| my profession to keep abreast of what's | | | | simply must be neutralized and expelled. |
| happening in medical /health research. Being | | | | |
| retired helps, because doctors simply do not | | | | Free radicals form and cause damage by |
| generally have the "extra time" to devote to | | | | reacting with many substances in your body. |
| the scientific literature. | | | | It is estimated that upwards of 200,000 free |
| | | | radical attacks occur in our bodies daily. |
| But I do. And I love it. I am one of those | | | | |
| individuals who really enjoys ...brace | | | | When free radical damage is done, the body |
| yourself...chemistry. When I'm done here, you | | | | can remove the compounds formed by its |
| should be excited too, especially if you are | | | | cellular repair system. However, if the body |
| interested in sports nutrition and | | | | cannot handle the free radicals (with |
| antioxidants, though not necessarily in that | | | | antioxidants for example), nor remove the |
| order. | | | | compounds, then disease can be the result. |
| | | | |
| Sports nutrition is a vast industry with | | | | Contrary to popular opinion, free radicals do |
| emphasis on optimizing PERFORMANCE. Off hand, | | | | not circulate throughout the body. The |
| I can think of quite a few categories | | | | half-life of most free radicals varies in a |
| involving sports nutrition: | | | | range of a few nanoseconds to about 7 seconds |
| | | | duration. That means they will react within |
| * sports nutrition and supplements for | | | | the "neighborhood" (a few Angstroms or |
| athletes, | | | | microns near where the increase in free |
| | | | radicals occurred) ...organs, connective |
| * sports nutrition and athletic performance, | | | | tissue, circulatory or nerve tissue, bone or |
| | | | lymphatic material are all candidates for |
| * sports nutrition and body building, | | | | free radical attack. |
| | | | |
| * sports nutrition and endurance training, | | | | Wherever they form, they will damage the |
| | | | surrounding areas, unless prevented by the |
| * sports nutrition and special diets in a | | | | body...So the body does NOT have the luxury |
| variety of sports, | | | | of just filtering away any circulatory fluids |
| | | | to find the free radicals. The body's defense |
| * sports nutrition and strength training, | | | | systems must be...well...fairly omnipresent |
| | | | to neutralize the effects of free radicals. |
| * sports nutrition for running, jogging, | | | | The antioxidant protective system must be |
| walking, skiing, swimming | | | | healthy. |
| | | | |
| * There's even Rocky Mountain sports | | | | Since they are highly reactive substances, |
| nutrition | | | | they react with all sorts of cell elements |
| | | | readily. But, when they do react with your |
| * ...the list is endless. | | | | body cells, they can damage the cells and |
| | | | even kill them. Often, the damage from free |
| So far, no surprises, huh? Well, here's one | | | | radicals can CHANGE the cellular structure |
| for you. Did you know that when you exercise | | | | enough to cause DISEASE such as cancer, |
| intensively you INCREASE the free radical | | | | diabetes, arthritis, heart disease and a host |
| burden in your body? If you're a serious | | | | of others. |
| sports enthusiast, you should know that. | | | | |
| | | | The type of disease that occurs is dependent |
| But...the real news is what science is now | | | | upon which of the free radical defenses in |
| finding out about that free radical burden of | | | | the body weren't functioning properly and |
| yours. You should pay close attention here. | | | | where the free radical attacks occur. |
| | | | |
| Suddenly, chemistry gets real personal. | | | | The body has pretty sophisticated antioxidant |
| | | | defense systems. But, the body CAN get |
| Everyone of us has, what may be called, our | | | | overwhelmed in its antioxidant protections |
| antioxidant protective capacity. That means | | | | against such free radicals... |
| our bodies normally utilize antioxidants to | | | | |
| protect us against the harmful impact of free | | | | Indeed, unless antioxidant enhanced sports |
| radicals. | | | | nutrition (with glyconutrients) are used to |
| | | | offset the increased free radical burden, the |
| First of all, what are antioxidants? They are | | | | BODY will suffer as a result of intensive |
| molecular substances which offset free | | | | sports training, stress, and competition. |
| radical damage to the body. Antioxidants, | | | | |
| "quench" free radicals (for lack of a better | | | | Glyconutrients VITAL to sports nutrition ... |
| metaphor) neutralizing their damaging effects | | | | |
| on the cells of the body. | | | | Studies comparing marathon runners who did |
| | | | and did not take glyconutritional sports |
| * Antioxidants are found in foods such as | | | | nutrition supplements were undertaken. The |
| cranberries, green tea and even chocolate. | | | | results were reported by the Proceedings of |
| | | | the Fisher Institute For Medical Research ( |
| * Antioxidants are found in vitamins such | | | | August 2003, vol.3, no.1). The results |
| vitamin C and E. | | | | "demonstrated strikingly different patterns." |
| | | | Antioxidant protection appeared to be |
| * Antioxidants are found in carotenoids such | | | | powerfully enhanced against free radicals |
| as beta-carotene. | | | | with glyconutritional supplementation. Thus, |
| | | | the body was protected for several days after |
| * Antioxidants are found in many substances | | | | the marathon run. |
| supplied by the body such as glutathione. | | | | |
| | | | However, when glyconutritional sports |
| * Antioxidants are found in many herbs and | | | | nutrition was NOT used, the damaging effects |
| enzymes. | | | | of the free radical burden appeared to remain |
| | | | in the body for about five days. Thus, the |
| The impact of antioxidants is boosted by | | | | subject "consistently excreted higher |
| glyconutrients to offset free radicals in | | | | concentrations of free radical byproducts..." |
| your body...and, as a result of your athletic | | | | as compared to that of the glyconutritional |
| exertions. | | | | subject. It should be emphasized that the |
| | | | subject studied WAS TAKING other |
| Antioxidant capacity must be provided in your | | | | antioxidants, though not glyconutrition. |
| sports nutrition regimen or you could be | | | | Despite that fact, the above cited results |
| "robbing Peter to pay Paul" with your | | | | were obtained. |
| workouts. As you will see, without a | | | | |
| glyconutrional presence in your sports | | | | That's another way of saying that when |
| nutrition, the healthful gains made by your | | | | glyconutritional supplements were not used, |
| physical workouts will be offset by your own | | | | the free radical burden upon the body was not |
| free radical burden. | | | | lifted. Antioxidant protection does appear to |
| | | | be (significantly) strengthened with |
| Free radicals, sports and sports nutrition | | | | glyconutritional sports nutrition. Such |
| | | | antioxidant protection appears to be of |
| Free radicals are those chemical species | | | | benefit for athletes overall, including |
| which contain one or more unpaired electrons, | | | | training, stress, competition and dietary |
| capable of independent existence. They form | | | | issues. |
| in the body due to a variety of reasons as | | | | |
| offshoots of cellular activity or as products | | | | The glyconutrional revolution in sports |
| introduced to the body from the outside. | | | | nutrition and therapy is just beginning. More |
| | | | studies are being done. More results are |
| As an analogy, think of running a car engine | | | | coming in concerning free radicals and the |
| as the cellular production and the car | | | | capacity of the glyconutrients to boost |
| emissions a the free radical production. The | | | | antioxidant affect against free radicals. |
| engine produces products which cannot stay | | | | |