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Article #156: Antioxidants, Free Radicals, and Sports Nutrition

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






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