 Oxygen has a bright side (we would quickly die without it) and a
dark side. It is required for cellular respiration and energy
production. Fuel plus oxygen equals energy, the same principle
your automobile engine employs to get you down the road. We need
energy to fuel our body’s systems.
But just like your automobile engine, cells produce emissions or
toxic wastes. These wastes are byproducts of cellular metabolism
and energy production.
Free radicals are produced through these
normal metabolic processes. Although some free radical activity
is necessary for proper biochemical electrical requirements, the
rampant over abundance of free radicals can wreak havoc on cell
membranes and intracellular stability.
Also, other toxins
from overcooked foods, excessive sugar intake, rancid
fats, environmental pollution, cigarette smoke,
pesticides, food additives, household chemicals, drugs,
alcohol and chemotherapy (to name a few), are exposed to
and interact with oxygen to create what are called
reactive oxygen species (ROS) or “free radicals”. Even
stress and exercise create them.
There are many types of free radicals, some of which
produce arterial plaque when cholesterol is oxidized.
Others attack healthy cells and tissues, penetrating
cell membranes and doing damage to DNA that can cause
cells to mutate or even die.
 So, oxidative stress is a fact of
life, and as we age, the need becomes ever more crucial to
control these byproducts of cellular metabolism and other toxic
substances that can be dangerous when electrons are stolen from
oxygen, producing unstable oxygen molecules or “free radicals”.
There can also be a “series of cascading events” that turn free
radicals into even more harmful substances if the momentum isn’t
halted. Excessive free radical activity is thought to be a
leading cause of degenerative disease and aging.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not meant to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.
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