FreeRad

FREE RADICALS

Free radicals are highly reactive molecular fragments that interact rapidly and aggressively with other molecules in the body to create abnormal cells. They can penetrate into the DNA of a cell and change its "blueprint" so that it now produces maverick cells that proliferate out of control.

Free radicals are highly unstable. They have unpaired electrons in their outer orbits, which cause them to react almost instantly with any substance in their vicinity. Oxygen free radicals are especially dangerous because they react readily with many other molecules.

White blood cells (leucocytes) use free radicals, in a controlled way, to kill invading bacteria and virus-infected cells. The liver also uses free radicals to detoxify harmful chemicals. Outside this regulated environment, however, free radicals destroy cellular membranes, enzymes, genetic material and even life itself. They accelerate aging and contribute to the development of arterial disease, cancer, and cataracts. They damage collagen by causing a cross-linkage of molecules and the loss of elasticity. Wrinkled skin, stiff joints and high blood pressure are often the result of this process of deterioration.

Free radicals are released in the body from the breaking down or detoxification of many chemical compounds, such as petrochemicals (in drugs, artificial food colorings, smog, etc.), preservatives in processed meats (e.g., nitrates, nitrites), exhaust fumes, cleaning fluids (e.g., carbon tetrachloride), unsaturated and rancid fats, alcohol, the tar in tobacco smoke, chlorinated drinking water (which can form chloroform in the body), cadmium and other heavy metals, and from radiation (e.g., X-rays and gamma radiation). The more we expose ourselves to such hazards, the greater the load of uncontrolled free radicals to which we subject our bodies -- and the more likely we are to exceed the ability of our immune systems to protect us from their potential damage. As you can see from the above list, free radicals in our environment have been steadily increasing over the years. Our great, great grandparents had relatively low exposure to these harmful factors.

One free radical hazard is an internal one. During constipation, renegade chemicals (such as apcholic acid and 3-methyl cholanthrene) are released into the colon and the bloodstream -- thus contributing to both colon cancer and arterial disease. Our ancestors ate unprocessed foods, rich in fiber, which tend to fill out the colon and aid in its evacuation -- the way nature intended. We would do well to emulate their habits. Because the fiber has been removed from refined flour and sugar products, these foods tend to be constipating.

Skin Test
Every person is bombarded by free radicals, every day, from both external hazards and dietary sources. We all differ in our ability to withstand free radical damage, however. If you want to know how much your body has already been affected by free radicals, here is a simple test: Extend your hand, palm down, in a relaxed position. Pinch the skin on the back of your hand and lift the fold upwards. Release this fold of skin and see how long it takes to pull back into position. If you are young or have minimal free radical damage, your skin will snap back immediately. Where there is considerable cross-linkage of collagen, the skin fold will slowly slip back into place, sometimes taking several seconds.

Reducing Exposure
The first step in protecting against damage from free radicals is to minimize one’s exposure to them. If we are aware of what the hazards are, we can make informed choices about avoiding them whenever possible.

It is easy to know when we come into contact with most environmental sources of free radicals – such as smog, exhaust fumes, side stream tobacco smoke, cleaning fluids, chlorinated swimming pools, radioactive substances, and X-rays. Another source, airline travel, is neither as obvious nor as easy to avoid. Flying at high altitudes increases our exposure to cosmic radiation because the atmosphere is too thin to offer much protection from cosmic radiation.

Most ingested sources of free radicals are also fairly straightforward. Nitrates and nitrites, artificial food colorings, chlorinated drinking water, rancid fats and hydrogenated fats are all quite easy to identify. The dietary hazard that is difficult for most people to accept is the one posed by polyunsaturated vegetable oils. These oils are a mixed blessing. They provide essential fatty acids but in a chemically unstable form.

Each molecule of a polyunsaturated fat contains a number of loose double carbon bonds that readily break apart upon exposure to heat, light or air to release a cascade of free radicals in the body. The more unsaturated an oil is, the greater its risk. Safflower, sunflower, corn, soy, sesame, and canola oils are hazardous when heated – and all of them have been heated during processing. Even the so-called "cold pressed" oils have been subjected to temperatures of up to 200⁰F (90⁰C) from the friction generated by the extraction machinery. Ironically, those who consume polyunsaturates intending to reduce their risk of heart disease may inadvertently be contributing to its progression.

Dietary fats/oils that are more stable and less likely to contribute to free radical overload in the body – because of their relatively high content of the stable monounsaturated and saturated fats – include ghee, olive oil, avocado oil, macadamia oil, butter and peanut oil. Olive oil is about 79 per cent oleic acid (monounsaturated), 13 per cent saturated fats, and 8 per cent polyunsaturates. Oleic acid contributes stability to cellular membranes, helping them to resist invasion by free radicals Oleic acid is also the predominant fat in mother’s milk – and the predominant fat in sebum, the protective substance secreted by sweat glands. [For further details of the relative merits of various fats/oils see my report; Cardio-protective Nutrition.]

Protecting Tissue
Antioxidants (e.g., vitamin C, vitamin E, beta carotene, selenium) protect living tissue from free radical damage. Zinc has the ability to inhibit free radicals. The amino acids, L-cysteine and DL-methionine, scavenge and terminate free radicals, especially those produced by ionizing radiation. All of these (plus many other co-operating and synergistic factors) are provided in abundance in the Arterial Cleansing Formula – a broad-spectrum supplement that helps the body both to prevent and reverse free radical damage.