Free radicals may have been a political statement at one time, but now the term refers mainly to a biochemical phenomenon. Free radicals are highly energetic, unstable particles that can wreak havoc in your body’s cells. In their attempts to become more stable, free radicals react with other compounds in our bodies, often doing great damage in the process. As you are already aware if you have read Chapter 2 in Renewal: The Anti-Aging Revolution, I believe that this is a primary aging event.

The most prevalent types of free radicals come from oxygen. Yes, the same oxygen we get from the air we breathe. Oxygen is of course essential to life. Yet oxygen is very active and combines readily with many compounds in the body, often forming free radicals in the process. These can then cause damage to our cell membranes, enzymes, and DNA.

Unfortunately, free radicals are everywhere: they are in the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we drink. A few common sources of free radicals are: brownedor burned food, animal foods, high fat foods, hydrogenated vegetable oils, pesticides, household chemicals, chlorination in water, and virtually all air pollutants. Stress and aging add to our free radical burden.

Free radicals are also formed when our cells burn hydrocarbon fuel (carbohydrates from the food we eat) in the presence of oxygen (from the air we breathe).

When free radicals enter our body, they can react with healthy tissue, setting off potentially damaging reactions. Free radicals are believed to play a role in virtually all degenerative diseases and all conditions associated with accelerated aging, including the two most common: cancer and atherosclerosis. Also on the list of free radical diseases: cataracts, arthritis, autoimmune diseases, high blood pressure, multiple sclerosis, heart attacks and coronary heart disease, macular degeneration, kidney failure, cirrhosis, senile dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease.

We cannot completely escape free radicals. They are a normal part of our lives. But we can successfully defend itself against them so they don’t harm us. There are two strategies for dealing with them. First, we must decrease our exposure to them by avoiding the foods and other sources listed above. The second strategy is to increase consumption of antioxidants through foods and supplements. Using certain vitamins and other nutrients, known as antioxidants, we neutralize the radicals or even prevent them from occurring.

Through the course of evolution, our bodies have learned to make ceretain endogenous antioxidants, which protect our cells from free radical assault. These are glutathione and Coenzyme Q-10, the two principal antioxidants made by the body to block the oxidizing action of free radicals. Unfortunately, as we age, our body’s production of these free radical scavengers declines, and for ooptimum protection, we must get them from supplements.

Several vitamins and minerals also act as antioxidants. Vitamin C, vitamin E (as mixed tocopherols), beta-carotene (as mixed carotenoids), the alpha linoleic acid in flaxseed oil, and several of the B-complex vitamins, play valuable roles in battling the constant onslaught of free radicals. The manganese, zinc, and selenium in your multivitamin-mineral are also great free radical fighters.

It is also known that taking these nutrients in a combination formula will allow for better use of the individual nutrients. For instance, vitamin E and selenium work well together. Vitamin A and zinc seem to partner well also. And all of the antioxidants work together as a team, actually recycling one another.

We are also now discovering several very powerful plant derived phytochemicals that protect us as well. (See Chapter 25 in Renewal.) These include the carotenoids in carrots, the proanthocyanidins in blueberries, the catechins in green tea, the lycopenes in tomatoes, the phenols in cruciferous vegetables, and the isoflavones in soy and other beans.

For optimum protection, I recommend a multivitamin, extra C, natural E, carotenoids, Glutathione, Coenzyme Q-10, essential fatty acids (flax and borage oils), and a phytonutrient complex supplement to insure that you are receiving good stores of these valuable nutrients.

A recent study of physicians indicated that most are taking antioxidant supplements. Although the official line is that we don’t need them, actions speak louder than words!

You can’t rely on supplements alone to supply all of your antioxidant needs. A diet loaded with fresh fruit and vegetables, grains and beans is the best way to load up on these protective chemicals. And remember, foods from animal sources, while adding to our free radical load, contain no significant amount of antioxidants, and no phytochemicals. In the process of digesting and utilizing animal foods, you deplete your antioxidant reserves. That’s why I recommend a vegetarian diet for optimum health and longevity.

While we can’t yet stop the aging clock, by staying healthy and well nourished we can certainly slow it down. Enjoy the extra time!