Wellness Info
Each month Dr.
Davenport offers tips, hints and current research on a
broad range of health and wellness topics. The most
recent topic of discussion is below, while past topics
can be found in the right sidebar. Feel free to email
Dr.
Davenport if you have a specific
question or topic you'd like him to address.
Antioxidants
You have
probably heard many great things about antioxidants in the
media.
For good
reason ... Antioxidants are intimately involved in the
prevention of cellular damage -- the common pathway for cancer,
aging, and a variety of diseases. Antioxidants play the role of
"janitor" in your body. And they take their position very
seriously.
Antioxidants go around mopping up excess free radicals before
these pesky little scavenger molecules get the chance to damage
or destroy your body's cells. Free radicals are atoms or groups
of atoms with an odd (unpaired) number of electrons and can be
formed when oxygen interacts with certain molecules. Since
oxygen is necessary for each cell to produce energy, there
hundreds of billions of opportunities to produce free radicals.
Once formed these highly reactive radicals can start a chain
reaction, like dominoes. Their chief danger comes from the
damage they can do when they react with important cellular
components such as DNA, or the cell membrane. Cells may function
poorly or die if this occurs.
Antioxidants are molecules
which can safely interact with free radicals and terminate the
chain reaction before vital molecules are damaged. They do this
by donating an electron to the free radical and neutralizing it.
Although there are several enzyme systems within the body that
scavenge free radicals, the most common micronutrient (vitamin)
antioxidants are vitamin E, beta-carotene (Vitamin A), and
vitamin C. Additionally, Glutathione (often referred to as the
master antioxidant) is essential to in the body’s detoxification
process. Selenium, a trace metal that is required for proper
function of one of the body's antioxidant enzyme systems, is
sometimes included in this category. The body cannot manufacture
these micronutrients so they must be supplied in the diet.
I
recommend to all my patients that they eat 5 servings (1/2 cup)
of vegetables and 3-5 servings of fruit a day. In a perfect
world, you'd be able to get all the antioxidants you need from a
healthy diet alone.
Unfortunately, there are just too many free radicals invading
your body from: stress, poor-quality diet and food additives,
environmental pollutants and toxins, and your body's natural
metabolic processes.
So your
body's supply of in-house antioxidant "janitors" can't keep up
with all their chore and supplementation is often required.
And
without a plentiful supply of crucial antioxidants:
-
Free-radicals damage your cell membranes, DNA, and
mitochondria (powerhouse of the cell)
- You
lack energy and stamina
-
Your immune system operates at less than peak efficiency
Dr. Davenport provides these wellness pages as a way to better
inform you of current health issues. Information on our
website should not be used to diagnose or treat a
medical problem or injury. Statements about dietary
supplements are not meant to diagnose treat, cure or
prevent any disease. |
