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What is Antioxidant?

Using Antioxidant Water

Healthy cells are often attacked by destructive active oxygen compounds, including free radicals. When unstable oxygen bonds with a cell, the cell becomes oxidized, no different from a nail that rusts.

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Antioxidants

1. What are Antioxidants?

2. Antioxidant and Alkaline Water.

3. Selenium; Most Effective Antioxidant

4. All Oxidants and Free Radicals –Simply Long Story Antioxidants

1. What are Antioxidants?

An antioxidant is a molecule that has a capability of inhibiting the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons or hydrogen from a substance to an oxidizing agent. Oxidation reactions can make free radicals. In turn, these radicals can initiate chain reactions.
When the chain reaction occurs in a cell, it can cause damage or death to the cell. When the chain reaction occurs in a purified monomer, it produces a polymer resin, such as a plastic, a synthetic fiber, or an oil paint film.
Antioxidants terminate these chain reactions by removing free radical intermediates, and inhibit other oxidation reactions.

They do this by being oxidized themselves, so antioxidants are often reducing agents such as thiols, ascorbic acid, or polyphenols.

Antioxidants are important additives in gasoline. These antioxidants prevent the formation of gums that interfere with the operation of internal combustion engines.

Although oxidation reactions are crucial for life, they can also be damaging; hence, plants and animals maintain complex systems of multiple types of antioxidants, such as glutathione, vitamin C, and vitamin E as well as enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase and various peroxidases. Low levels of antioxidants, or inhibition of the antioxidant enzymes, cause oxidative stress and may damage or kill cells. As oxidative stress appears to be an important part of many human diseases, the use of antioxidants in pharmacology is intensively studied, particularly as treatments for stroke and neurodegenerative diseases. However, it is unknown whether oxidative stress is the cause or the consequence of disease.

Antioxidants are widely used as ingredients in dietary supplements and have been investigated for the prevention of diseases such as cancer, coronary heart disease and even altitude sickness. Although initial studies suggested that antioxidant supplements might promote health, later large clinical trials did not detect any benefit and suggested instead that excess supplementation is harmful. Concerning the previous studies cited the first only shows that antioxidant supplements were not effective in helping against "mountain sickness", and in the second study showed that the supplements beta carotene, vitamin A , and vitamin E, "singly or combined, significantly increased mortality." Though it says that "Most trials investigated the effects of supplements administered at higher doses than those commonly found in a balanced diet" whereas it says "Vitamin C and selenium had no significant effect on mortality." In addition to these uses of natural antioxidants in medicine, these compounds have many industrial uses, such as preservatives in food and cosmetics and preventing the degradation of rubber and gasoline.

Bibliography
Sies, Helmut (1997). "Oxidative stress: Oxidants and antioxidants". Experimental physiology 82 (2): 291–5.
Werner Dabelstein, Arno Reglitzky, Andrea Schütze and Klaus Reders "Automotive Fuels" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry 2007, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim.
Baillie, J.K.; Thompson, A.A.R.; Irving, J.B.; Bates, M.G.D.; Sutherland, A.I.; MacNee, W.; Maxwell, S.R.J.; Webb, D.J. (2009). "Oral antioxidant supplementation does not prevent acute mountain sickness: double blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial". QJM 102 (5): 341–8.
Bjelakovic G; Nikolova, D; Gluud, LL; Simonetti, RG; Gluud, C (2007). "Mortality in randomized trials of antioxidant supplements for primary and secondary prevention: systematic review and meta-analysis". JAMA 297 (8): 842–57.
Benzie, I (2003). "Evolution of dietary antioxidants". Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 136 (1): 113–26.
Venturi, Sebastiano; Donati, Francesco M.; Venturi, Alessandro; Venturi, Mattia (2000). "Environmental Iodine Deficiency: A Challenge to the Evolution of Terrestrial Life?". Thyroid 10 (8): 727–9.
Mattill, H A (1947). "Antioxidants". Annual Review of Biochemistry 16: 177–92.
German, JB (1999). "Food processing and lipid oxidation". Advances in experimental medicine and biology 459: 23–50.
Jacob, RA (1996). "Three eras of vitamin C discovery". Sub-cellular biochemistry 25: 1–16.
Knight, JA (1998). "Free radicals: Their history and current status in aging and disease". Annals of clinical and laboratory science 28 (6): 331–46. Wolf, George (2005). "The discovery of the antioxidant function of vitamin E: The contribution of Henry A. Mattill". The Journal of nutrition 135 (3): 363–6.
Davies, KJ (1995). "Oxidative stress: The paradox of aerobic life". Biochemical Society Symposia 61: 1–31.
Vertuani, Silvia; Angusti, Angela; Manfredini, Stefano (2004). "The Antioxidants and Pro-Antioxidants Network: An Overview". Current Pharmaceutical Design 10 (14): 1677–94.
Rhee, S. G. (2006). "CELL SIGNALING: H2O2, a Necessary Evil for Cell Signaling". Science 312 (5782): 1882–3.
Valko, M; Leibfritz, D; Moncol, J; Cronin, M; Mazur, M; Telser, J (2007). "Free radicals and antioxidants in normal physiological functions and human disease". The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology 39: 44–84.
Stohs, S; Bagchi, D (1995). "Oxidative mechanisms in the toxicity of metal ions". Free Radical Biology and Medicine 18 (2): 321–36.
Nakabeppu, Yusaku; Sakumi, Kunihiko; Sakamoto, Katsumi; Tsuchimoto, Daisuke; Tsuzuki, Teruhisa; Nakatsu, Yoshimichi (2006). "Mutagenesis and carcinogenesis caused by the oxidation of nucleic acids". Biological Chemistry 387 (4): 373–9.
Valko, Marian; Izakovic, Mario; Mazur, Milan; Rhodes, Christopher J.; Telser, Joshua (2004). "Role of oxygen radicals in DNA damage and cancer incidence". Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry 266 (1–2): 37–56.
Stadtman, E. (1992). "Protein oxidation and aging". Science 257 (5074): 1220–4.

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2. Antioxidant and Alkaline Water.

Leo McDevitt
July 26th, 2011
1 Comment

Antioxidants and alkaline water
Alkaline water produced by a water ionizer can be a great source of antioxidants and other minerals. Hard water, which is found in many areas will contain large amounts of calcium and magnesium, and will likely have many other minerals in it as well, some of those minerals, such as zinc and manganese, are antioxidants.

While the filters in an ionizer work to reduce the levels of many substances found in tap water, they allow useful amounts of minerals to pass through. A water ionizer is the best way to get antioxidant minerals from water because they concentrate beneficial minerals in drinking water while rejecting harmful ones.

Water ionizers use a process called electrodialysis to divide water into two different streams, one alkaline, and one acid. The process concentrates essential dietary minerals on the alkaline side, while harmful elements are concentrated on the acid side. Then, the electrodialytic process causes the concentrated alkaline minerals to become ionized by freeing up hydroxyl ions from the water, which then instantly combine with any minerals present to form ionic minerals in their antioxidant form, which are highly bioavailable.

Alkaline water can be a great source of iron and zinc
Vegetables have long been recognized as a source of vitamins and minerals, but research is revealing that vegetables may make it difficult for the body to absorb some essential dietary minerals. Scientists have found that antioxidants in plants, known as polyphenols, can interfere with the absorption of iron and zinc. Some plant acids, such as phytic acid will bind to iron and zinc making them unavailable to absorb in the intestines. Some health experts have speculated that the binding effect of polyphenols may be the cause of mineral deficiencies in some people’s diets. For vegetarians and vegans, alkaline water can provide useful amounts of bioavailable iron and zinc in their diet because it contains no polyphenols.

Mineral Antioxidants found in Alkaline Water

Immune functions fail first if you don't get enough antioxidant minerals Some of the minerals found in drinking water supplies virtually everywhere have proven antioxidant effects in the body. Known antioxidant minerals commonly found in water include: copper, manganese, selenium, and zinc.
If they are present in your source water, alkaline water produced by an ionizer will have trace amounts of the above antioxidant minerals in it. The good news is – you only need trace amounts of these minerals in your diet! Drinking water is the ideal way to deliver minerals, because the body can only absorb small amounts of minerals at a time.

This is one of the major drawbacks of mineral supplements, they deliver a lot of minerals, but only a small amount is actually absorbed. Minerals from supplements that can’t be absorbed are excreted in the feces.

How to use Alkaline Water for Mineral Supplementation
It is incredibly easy to supplement your mineral intake with alkaline water. Simply drink alkaline water throughout your day each glass of water you drink will give you some minerals. Health experts recommend you drink eight 500 ml glasses of water each day to maintain proper hydration. By drinking alkaline water, you not only stay hydrated, but you add essential minerals to your diet. Drinking alkaline water may just be one of the easiest and most effective things you can do to maintain and improve your health.

References
Life Extension Foundation. Manganese Overview retrieved 7-15-11 from http://www.lef.org/abstracts/codex/manganese_index.htm
Rostan, et. al. Evidence supporting zinc as an important antioxidant for skin. International Journal of Dermatology (indexed for MEDLINE) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12358835
Gaetke, L. Chow, C. Copper toxicity, oxidative stress, and antioxidant nutrients. Toxicology Jun 15, 2003 189 (1-2) 147 – 163 (indexed for MEDLINE) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12821289
Burk, R. Selenium, an antioxidant nutrient. Nutrition in Clinical Care. Apr 2002 5(2): 75 - 79 (indexed for MEDLINE) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12134713
Penn State (2010, August 23). Polyphenol antioxidants inhibit iron absorption. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 15, 2011, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2010/08/100823152309.htm
Bowen, R. Absorption of Minerals and Metals. Aug 24, 2008 http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion/smallgut/absorb_minerals.html
Mani, K. Electrodialysis water splitting technology. Journal of Membrane Science Volume 58, Issue 2, 15 May 1991, Pages 117-138. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376738800824503

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3. Selenium; Most Effective Antioxidant

Selenium is a mineral. It is taken into the body in water and foods. People use it for medicine.

Most of the selenium in the body comes from the diet. The amount of selenium in food depends on where it is grown or raised. Crab, liver, fish, poultry, and wheat are generally good selenium sources. The amount of selenium in soils varies a lot around the world, which means that the foods grown in these soils also have differing selenium levels. In the U.S., the Eastern Coastal Plain and the Pacific Northwest have the lowest selenium levels. People in these regions naturally take in about 60 to 90 mcg of selenium per day from their diet. Although this amount of selenium is adequate, it is below the average daily intake in the U.S., which is 125 mcg.

Selenium is used for diseases of the heart and blood vessels, including stroke and “hardening of the arteries” (atherosclerosis). It is also used for preventing various cancers including cancer of the prostate, stomach, lung, and skin.

Some people use selenium for under-active thyroid, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an eye disease called macular degeneration, hay fever, infertility, cataracts, gray hair, abnormal pap smears, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), mood disorders, arsenic poisoning, and preventing miscarriage.

Selenium is also used for preventing serious complications and death from critical illnesses such as head injury and burns. It is also used for preventing bird flu, treating HIV/AIDS, and reducing side effects from cancer chemotherapy.

How effective is it?
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate.

The effectiveness ratings for SELENIUM are as follows:

Likely effective for...

Preventing lower than normal levels of selenium (selenium deficiency).

Possibly effective for...

Autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto's thyroiditis). Taking selenium 200 mcg daily along with thyroid hormone might decrease antibodies in the body that contribute to this condition. Selenium might also help improve mood and general feelings of well-being in people with thyroiditis.

Possibly ineffective for...

Preventing cancer. Clinical research shows that taking a combination of selenium 100 mcg along with zinc 20 mg, vitamin C 120 mg, vitamin E 30 mg, and beta-carotene 6 mg/day once daily for 7.5 years does not lower the overall chance of developing cancer of any type.
Skin cancer. Taking 200 mcg of selenium does not seem to reduce the risk of getting a particular type of skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma. In fact, some scientific evidence suggests that taking extra selenium might actually increase the risk of getting another type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma.

Lung cancer. Increasing selenium intake doesn’t seem to lower the risk of getting lung cancer, except in people who have lower than normal levels of selenium (selenium deficiency). Even in this group, the risk reduction is small.

Prostate cancer. There has been a lot of interest in studying whether taking selenium lowers the risk of getting prostate cancer. The interest was triggered by the observation that prostate cancer seems to be less common in men with higher selenium levels in their blood and toenails. To date, there have been several large, long-term scientific studies. While results have not always agreed, the weight of research suggests that taking extra selenium probably doesn’t help prevent prostate cancer.

Heart disease. Some research shows that people with heart disease who take selenium 100 mcg daily in combination with beta-carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin E do not seem to have a lower chance of having heart disease worsening or heart attacks.

Diabetes. Some research has shown that people with low selenium levels in the body have a higher chance of getting type 2 diabetes. But other research shows that people who have high amounts of selenium in the body also have increased chance of getting type 2 diabetes. Additionally, more reliable research shows that people who take a selenium supplement 200 mcg daily for an average of 7.7 years actually have a significantly increased chance of getting type 2 diabetes.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Critical illness (burns, head injury, etc).

Insufficient evidence to rate effectiveness for...

HIV/AIDS. There is contradictory evidence about the effect of selenium supplements on HIV.
Arthritis (osteoarthritis).Low selenium levels seem to be linked with an increased risk of developing osteoarthritis. But it’s not known whether selenium supplements can prevent osteoarthritis.
Colorectal cancer.Evidence is conflicting about the effect of selenium on colorectal cancer.
Esophageal cancer.Taking selenium supplements does not seem to significantly decrease the risk of esophageal cancer.
Stomach cancer.Taking selenium in combination with vitamin C and vitamin E long-term (for about 7 years) does not seem to reduce the risk of developing precancerous stomach sores.
Hypothyroidism.
Atherosclerosis.
Macular degeneration (eye disease).
Hay fever.
Gray hair.
Mood disorders.
Chemotherapy side effects.
Swelling after surgery.
Abnormal pap smears.
Infertility.
Cataracts.
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).
Bird flu.
Preventing miscarriage.
Overall cancer risk.
Other conditions.

More evidence is needed to rate selenium for these uses.

How does it work?
Selenium is important for making many body processes work correctly. It seems to increase the action of antioxidants.

Are there safety concerns?
Selenium is LIKELY SAFE for most people when taken by mouth in doses less than 400 mcg per day, short-term.

Higher doses are POSSIBLY UNSAFE. They can cause significant side effects including nausea, vomiting, nail changes, loss of energy, and irritability. Poisoning from long-term use is similar to arsenic poisoning, with symptoms including hair loss, white horizontal streaking on fingernails, nail inflammation, fatigue, irritability, nausea, vomiting, garlic breath odor, and a metallic taste.

Selenium can also cause muscle tenderness, tremor, lightheadedness, facial flushing, blood clotting problems, liver and kidney problems, and other side effects.

There is concern that taking selenium for a long time might not be safe. Long-term consumption of selenium supplements appears to increase the chance of getting type 2 diabetes. It also seems to increase the risk of skin cancer recurrence. There is also some concern that having too much selenium in the body might increase the risk of overall death as well as death from cancer.

Special precautions & warnings:

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Selenium use is POSSIBLY SAFE during pregnancy and breast-feeding when used short-term in amounts that are not larger than 400 mcg per day.
Fertility problems in men: Selenium might decrease the ability of sperm to move, which could reduce fertility. If you are trying to father a child, don’t take selenium supplements.
Prostate cancer: There is concern that taking large amounts of a multivitamin plus a separate selenium supplement might increase the chance of developing prostate cancer and dying from prostate cancer.
A history of skin cancer: Long-term use of selenium supplements might slightly increase the risk of skin cancer recurrence, but this is controversial. Until more is known about the possible increase in skin cancer risk, avoid long-term use of selenium supplements if you have ever had skin cancer.
Under-active thyroid (hypothyroidism): Taking selenium can worsen hypothyroidism especially in people with iodine deficiency. In this case, you should take iodine along with selenium. Check with your healthcare provider.
Surgery: Selenium might increase the risk of bleeding during and after surgery. Stop taking selenium at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.

References
To see all references for the Selenium page, please go to http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/1003.html.

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4. All Oxidants and Free Radicals –Simply Long Story Antioxidants

The Free Radical – An Oxidant Waiting to Happen
Highly-reactive forms of oxygen called free radicals create chemical reactions that damage brain cells. If free radicals get out of control, cells will be damaged faster than they can be repaired. Like a biological form of rust, a lifetime of oxidative insult can lead to diminished brain function.

The Physics of Free Radicals
At the molecular level, biochemistry becomes physics. The atoms in a chemical bond share a pair of electrons that create a magnetic attraction. These atomic bonds are constantly breaking and reforming. When a bond breaks, each atom reclaims its electron and briefly becomes a free radical, an unstable molecule that immediately seeks to pair up with another atomic partner.

Combating Radical Oxidants with Antioxidants
Antioxidants (anti-oxygen) are your first line of defense against free radicals. Free radicals are a normal part of metabolism and play a vital role in many biochemical processes, but they must be kept under control. To counteract these radical oxidants, the brain needs an ample supply of antioxidants. Basically, antioxidants are molecules that free radicals find more attractive than cellular components.
Antioxidants can be found in micronutrients obtained from food. There are many different kinds of micronutrients that function as antioxidants to neutralize, or quench, free radicals. Each works in a unique manner and has a particular area of expertise, but they also complement each other in an extraordinary synergy that effectively controls free radicals. In a sense, antioxidants sacrifice themselves to preserve your body parts. They readilydonate their electrons to prevent free radicals from stealing electrons out of membrane fatty acids, mitochondria, DNA, and elsewhere.
Antioxidant levels diminish with age, therefore the aging brain appears to be an easy target for oxidative damage. This underscores the importance of getting enough antioxidants through diet and supplements.

How Do You Round Up Free Radicals?
With a posse, of course.
Dubbed the "antioxidant network" by Lester Packer, Ph.D., these cooperating chemicals include vitamin C, vitamin E, glutathione, coenzyme Q10, and lipoic acid. They actually revive and spare one another from destruction. In his book, The Antioxidant Miracle, Dr. Packer gives an example of how this metabolic synergy works to protect cells. "When vitamin E disarms a free radical, it becomes a weak free radical itself. But unlike bad free radicals, the vitamin E radical can be recycled, or turned back into an antioxidant, by vitamin C or coenzyme Q10. These network antioxidants will donate electrons to vitamin E, bringing it back to its antioxidant state. The same scenario occurs when vitamin C or glutathione defuses a free radical."

Pollution and Free Radicals
Free radicals also assault us from the outside, primarily via the skin and lungs. Our modern industrial environment – especially the internal partial-combustion engine – provides the chemical soup that the sun's ultraviolet rays excite to produce free radicals.
In the presence of heat and sunlight, ozone forms quickly from nitrogen oxides in polluted air and volatile organic compounds from vehicle exhaust. A highly reactive gas, ozone is the main component of summer smog that promotes the formation of free radicals.
Ironically, too little ozone in the stratosphere allows more UV radiation to interact with too much ground-level ozone. (What we need is an ozone pump!) Chemical pesticides, herbicides, and petrochemical paints and solvents are also sources of free radical exposure. When you eat fats processed at high temperatures, or deep-fried, then you are consuming foods that add to your free radical load. Tobacco smoke is a major contributor.

Oxidative Damage-Studies
Domenico Pratico, MD’s, research has demonstrated that oxidative damage precedes the amyloid plaques that destroy brain cells – primarily in the hippocampus, followed by the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain – all of which can lose from 30 to 40% of their neurons as the disease progresses.
The Penn researchers studied brains of engineered mice vs. a control group at six developmental milestones, from 1 to 18 months. Although the plaques were still undetectable at eight months, Pratico said, "At seven months, there is 25% more oxidative damage in the AD mice than is present in normal mice, and this differential keeps increasing until it is 100% higher at 10 or 11 months. At 12 months, oxidative damage is 200% higher." Dr. Nick Fox and his team at University College in London used a "voxel-based" fMRI scanning technique to track the brains of people who did not yet have Alzheimer's disease, but who had a family history of it. Brain degeneration was observed about three years before clinical symptoms of the disease appeared.

Oxidative Damage Shortens Cell Lifespan-Study
At the end of chromosomes are bits of genetic material called telomeres. Their length determines how long a cell will live, and each time a cell divides some of its telomere is lost.
German scientists have found a strong association between telomere length and vascular dementia, a type of brain damage caused by diseased blood vessels. When the telomeres in the white blood cells of 186 people were measured, those with shorter telomeres were three times more likely to have vascular dementia. The rate at which telomeres shorten in human cells is associated with the cells' ability to withstand oxidative damage, therefore the researchers believe that vascular dementia can be slowed by antioxidants.

Antioxidants
Antioxidants attract and gather the free radicals that are associated with many brain maladies. Find out how antioxidants protect your brain and how specific micronutrients benefit your brain. You can also learn how the lack of specific micronutrients can increase the risk of stroke and cognitive decline.

Antioxidants Protect Against Mental Decline and Dementia
Evidence is mounting that cumulative oxidative damage to brain cells causes the fuzzy memory, slow learning, and loss of coordination that often accompanies aging – as well as the dementias that plague us today. Even the form of dementia known as Alzheimer's disease (AD) seems to begin with oxidative damage long before any symptoms arise. "Alzheimer's disease is a very complex disease that does not appear to have a single cause, but our research indicates that oxidative stress is probably a primary event in the course of the illness," says Domenico Pratico, MD, of the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Antioxidants Protect Against Vascular Dementia-Study
A major study involving 3,385 Japanese-American men from the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study reinforces the value of antioxidants for the brain. Elderly men who took supplements of both vitamin C and E had an 88% reduction in the frequency of vascular dementia compared with men who did not take the supplements. The protective effect was substantially greater in men who reported long-term use of both vitamins. Regarding the mechanism of the protective effect, Dr. Kamal H. Masaki and co-authors of the Honolulu Heart Program say that the study's results support "hypothesized roles for cellular and molecular oxidative injury in the pathogenesis of brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's dementia and Parkinson's dementia, and vascular dementia.

Cognitive Function in Elderly Women and Men-Study
Dutch researchers concluded that cardiovascular health appears to be a primary biological reason why elderly women tend to have better cognitive function than their male peers. Dr. A. J. M. de Craen and his team at Leiden University Medical Center tested 600 people over age 85. "Good cognitive speed was found in 33% of the women and 28% of the men. Forty-one percent of the women and 29% of the men had a good memory," they reported. The odds of having a better memory were 80% higher in elderly women, even after considering factors such as formal education and depression – a difference far greater than in younger people. Bear in mind: heart smart is brain gain. Both organs rely on a healthy circulatory system. In fact, a stroke is sometimes referred to as a "brain attack."

Antioxidants Help Your Brain Breathe
You can live without food for weeks, without water for days, but only for a few minutes without oxygen. Although 20-25% of all inhaled oxygen should go to your head, many obstacles can considerably reduce the amount of oxygen that actually reaches your brain cells.

Learn How to Breathe
The average pair of lungs can expand to a volume of about 5,000 cubic centimeters, yet most of us normally use less than a third of this capacity. Breathing is an involuntary bodily function that you can also consciously control, but few of us are taught good breathing habits.
Pay attention to your breathing. Is it slow and deep, or quick and shallow? Is your belly expanding and contracting, or is your chest doing all the work? When you inhale from the belly by expanding your diaphragm, more air is drawn into the lowest portion of your lungs where much of the oxygen absorption takes place. Belly breathing also requires less muscular energy than chest breathing – both in muscles used and in frequency of breaths.

Take a Walk
Walking is especially good, because it increases circulation to the brain. Compared to more strenuous exercises, walking doesn't divert extra oxygen and glucose to muscles. As you walk, you effectively oxygenate your brain. Maybe this is why walking can "clear your head" and help you think better, especially after a meal when your brain may be deprived of glucose.

Eat for Healthy Lungs
Lung tissue is easily damaged by free radicals. A nutritional program high in antioxidants may help ensure proper absorption of oxygen. Antioxidants, especially vitamin E, protect red blood cells and capillaries that deliver oxygen to your brain cells. Vitamin E also protects fatty acids in the bloodstream from toxically combining with oxygen and diminishing the amount of oxygen available to the brain.

Lung Function and Diet-Studies
In a study of nearly 14,000 adults, Dutch scientists found a direct correlation between healthier lung function and a greater intake of solid fruits, such as apples and pears, that contain protective phytochemicals called catechins. Tea is also a good source of these antioxidants, but higher consumption of tea alone did not lower lung disease risk. Decreased lung function was associated with low blood levels of vitamin E and beta-cryptoxanthin (an antioxidant found in oranges), as well as with other antioxidants (vitamin C, vitamin A, lutein, beta carotene, and lycopene). Researchers at the University of Buffalo's School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences tested 1,616 people (35 to 79 years old), who were all free of respiratory illness. Those with healthier lungs had higher antioxidant levels.

Cigarette Smoke and Antioxidants
Cigarette smoke interferes with your lungs' ability to absorb oxygen – and produces neurotoxins such as carbon monoxide, cyanide, and acetaldehyde. It contains high levels of free radicals that deplete the body's antioxidant supply. Smoking one cigarette destroys about 25 mg of vitamin C, and secondhand smoke lowers vitamin C levels in children by 20%.

Smoking and Pregnancy-Statistics
Based on the outcomes of more than 25,000 pregnancies, Danish researchers concluded that "one fourth of all stillbirths and one fifth of all deaths occurring during the first year of life could be avoided if all pregnant women stopped smoking by the 16th week of their pregnancy."10
In the United States, nearly 20% of pregnant 18- and 19-year-old teenagers smoked cigarettes in 1999 – a 5% increase in five years. Of the half-million women who smoked while pregnant, 12.1% delivered a low birth weight infant compared with 7.2% of women who did not smoke. Low birth weight is associated with many health problems later in life. For example, Spanish researchers found that infants with the lowest birth weights had the highest blood pressure in childhood and adolescence.

Advice for Smoking Pregnant Women
"The best advice we can give all women is to begin their pregnancies as healthy nonsmokers," says the U.S. Surgeon General in the August update of the 2001 Report on Women and Smoking. There is no safe level of exposure from active smoking, advises the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Even when women smoked less than five cigarettes per day, there were detrimental effects on the birth weight of their babies.

Antioxidants-Plants
Plants, like humans, need to protect themselves from free radical damage, so they have evolved many different kinds of phytochemicals to do so. (Phyto is Greek for "plant.") The pigments in bark, rinds, seeds, leaves, fruits, and flowers are very active antioxidants. An estimated 25,000 different micronutrients exist in the plant kingdom, (or "kindom," as the ecologically-minded prefer to say). Indigenous and scientific cultures have identified only a small percentage of this amazing treasury.

Defense Plants: Fruits and Vegetables-Study
Dr. Frank Speizer of Harvard Medical School reported that eating more fruit was associated with reduced risk of high blood pressure – a major risk factor for stroke – in a study of 113,000 health professionals. Research has consistently shown that increased consumption of citrus fruits and cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and broccoli is "associated with reduced risk of coronary heart disease and stroke."13
When the dietary habits of 126,000 men and women aged 34 to 75 were analyzed, it showed that the risk of coronary heart disease was reduced by 4% with just one additional serving of fruit or vegetables per day. "Our data support a protective effect of greater consumption of fruits and vegetables, in particular green leafy vegetables and vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables, against risk for coronary heart disease," said Dr. Kaumudi J. Joshipura and his colleagues at Harvard University. "The mechanisms through which vegetables and fruits protect against cardiovascular disease are likely to be multiple," because they contain myriad compounds.14
Keep in mind: what's good for coronary health is good for cerebral health, because both the heart and the brain rely on a healthy vascular system.

Defense Plants: Apple a Day-Study
Researchers at Cornell University have revised an old adage to say: The phytochemicals in an apple a day keep the doctor away. That's because whole fruits provide the "balanced antioxidants needed to quench reactive oxygen species."
"Eating fruits and vegetables is better than taking a vitamin pill," according to Rui Hai Liu, assistant professor of food science. His team found that vitamin C is only responsible for a small portion of the antioxidant activity. Instead, almost all of this activity in apples is from phytochemicals. Eating 100 grams of fresh apple with skins provided the total antioxidant activity equal to 1,500 milligrams of vitamin C.
"What this study shows is the combination of phytochemicals plays a very important role in antioxidant and anticancer activity, and the real health benefits may come from a phytochemical mixture.

Defense Plants: Lutein and Decreased Risk for Stroke-Study
Researchers at the USC and at UCLA looked at the relationship between the thickness of carotid (neck) artery walls and consumption of lutein, a phytochemical cousin of beta carotene. Increased carotid thickness is associated with increased risk for stroke.
In an 18-month study of 480 men and women 40 to 60 years old, the average increase in artery wall thickness was five times greater in those with the lowest blood levels of lutein, compared to those with the highest levels.
USC professor of preventive medicine James Dwyer, Ph.D., said, "The importance of our findings concerning lutein and atherosclerosis is that we may have identified one of the many components of vegetables that account for the protective effects of vegetables."

Dietary Sources of Lutein Part of the carotenoid family of phytochemicals, lutein is found in carrots and in dark leafy greens such as spinach, kale, and collard greens, as well as in oranges and eggs. It is the pigment that gives corn and marigolds their golden color.

Defense Plants: Blue Benefits Brains
Some of the most potent plant-derived antioxidants are the proanthocyanidins – a subclass of bioflavonoids named for the blue (cyan) pigment that gives certain plants their distinguishing blue hues. This blue color seems to indicate antioxidant protection that's particularly beneficial for the brain.
Proanthocyanidins are able to cross the blood-brain barrier and protect against both water- and fat-soluble free radicals. This allows them to prevent damage to the fatty membrane of a neuron as well as to its aqueous interior.
The antioxidant activity of proanthocyanidins is many times that of vitamin C or E. What's more, they have a "sparing" effect on these antioxidant vitamins, because proanthocyanidins are the first to neutralize free radicals. This allows the vitamins to carry out their other metabolic functions, instead of being used up to control free radicals.

Blueberries Rule-Study
When Tufts University researchers analyzed more than 40 fruits and vegetables, they found that raw blueberries contained the highest level of antioxidants – nearly 60 times the recommended daily levels – more than blackberries, beets, spinach, and garlic. Animals fed an antioxidant-rich blueberry extract diet showed fewer age-related motor changes and outperformed their study counterparts on memory tests. "The exciting finding from this study is the potential reversal of some age-related impairments in both memory and motor coordination, especially with blueberry supplements," said Molly Wagster, Ph.D., of the National Institute on Aging's Neuroscience and Neurospsychology of Aging Program.

Defense Plants: Grape Seeds and Pine Bark
Dark red grapes are rich in proanthocyanidins, especially their seeds, so grape seed extract is frequently used in nutritional supplement programs. Other plants well-known for their high levels of proanthocyanidins include pine and ginkgo trees. Our knowledge of pine bark goes back nearly 500 years to when the French explorer Jacques Cartier reported that a tea made by Native Americans from pine tree bark saved the lives of his crew who were dying of scurvy.

Defense Plants: Ginkgo Leaves
Ginkgo leaves contain potent proanthocyanidins that protect cerebral blood vessel walls by neutralizing free radicals. Ginkgo is particularly effective in quenching the super-oxide anion and hydroxyl free radicals.
The oldest species of tree on Earth is the ginkgo. After the glacial era they were found only in Asia, where Buddhist monks considered them sacred. Introduced to Europe in 1727, their beautiful fan-shape leaves inspired Goethe to compose a poem in honor of the Ginkgo biloba (bi-lobal) tree, whose leaf he considered a symbol of the heart.
Research has shown ginkgo's positive effect on memory and mental acuity. In France and Germany, ginkgo is widely prescribed for mental problems associated with poor memory, difficulty concentrating, confusion, anxiety, and depression.

Defense Plants: Curry Power
Curcumin is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound found in the curry spice turmeric, which has a long history of dietary and medicinal use in India. In animal studies at UCLA, curcumin was shown to reduce the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaques in the synapses of the rodents' brain cells. Synapses connect nerve cells and are crucial for memory, so their loss correlates well with memory decline in Alzheimer's disease, said Dr. Sally Frautschy.
Rats fed curcumin also performed much better in memory-dependent maze tests compared with rats on normal diets. Frautschy plans to test the phytochemicals in rosemary and ginger, because their structures are similar to curcumin's.

Antioxidants-Vitamin C
Millions of times each second, a vitamin C molecule sacrifices one of its electrons to neutralize a free radical.
The brain has priority to the body's store of vitamin C, which is concentrated in the fluid around neurons up to 100 times higher than elsewhere in the body. When levels become deficient, vitamin C will be leached out of body tissues to maintain adequate levels in the brain and lungs. Otherwise, the brain would literally be destroyed by a frenzy of free radical damage in a matter of minutes.
Because it is very similar to glucose, vitamin C readily enters into brain cells. There it protects DNA and other cellular components, and is used to synthesize two important chemical messengers – the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine – and to protect them from oxidation.
Vitamin C is thought to be the "hub of the antioxidant network," because it's the link connecting the fat-soluble antioxidants to the water-soluble ones. Vitamin C recharges vitamin E after it has been depleted.

Vitamin C and Stroke-Study
A Japanese study found that the risk of stroke was inversely related to vitamin C in the bloodstream and frequency of vegetable consumption. Epidemiologist Tetsuji Yokoyama, M.D., and his team examined 880 men and 1,241 women in rural Japan over during a 20-year period beginning in 1977.
"The risk of all types of stroke was 58% lower among those who consumed vegetables six to seven days per week, compared to those who only consumed them up to two days a week," Yokoyama reported.

Vitamin C and Longevity-Study
As an antioxidant, vitamin C neutralizes free radicals that damage DNA and other cellular structures. Although vitamin C is not solely responsible for the increased longevity, it is a marker for a diet high in fruits and vegetables.
A four-year British study of nearly 20,000 individuals 45 to 79 years old, compared medical data with blood levels of vitamin C. Researchers conclude that the risk of death was cut in half for individuals who had the highest levels of vitamin C in their blood, compared to those with the lowest levels. This was independent of other factors such as smoking, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, and age.

Antioxidants-Magnesium
Proper brain function depends on a constant supply of biochemical energy. When magnesium is chronically deficient or depleted, then brain metabolism and power suffer.
Several factors contribute to the lack of magnesium in our diet.
To begin with, a big part of American diets (fats, meats, dairy products) are low in magnesium. This mineral is often depleted in our soils. Processing or cooking further reduce its levels in food, and not all of the magnesium we do consume is absorbed.

The Top Six Reasons Your Brain Needs Magnesium

Factors in Magnesium Loss
Many factors increase magnesium loss from the body, particularly stress ?including physical stress from intense exercise. Normal daily loss through urine is from 100 to 300 mg. Of all the drugs known to deplete magnesium, alcohol is the most notorious.
An extreme case of alcohol-induced magnesium deficiency is delirium tremens (the d.t.'s), a life-threatening emergency. It is characterized by sweating, shaking, confusion, hallucinations, seizures, agitation, and disturbances of memory. Emergency room treatment for the d.t.'s includes injections of magnesium sulfate.

Low Magnesium and Increased Stress
Do noises sound excessively loud? Do lights seem too bright? Are your emotional reactions exaggerated? These may be signs of a magnesium deficiency. Along with vitamin B1, magnesium supports the reparative process that neurons need to offset the stress from the continual firing of the electrical impulse.
Low levels of magnesium may cause nerves to fire too easily, even from minor stimuli. Because stress affects the kidneys' ability to recycle magnesium, hypersensitivity can continue to escalate. The brain may even be too stimulated to sleep.

Magnesium Leaves During Fight or Flight Response
In preparation for "fight or flight," one of the actions of stress hormones is to take magnesium out of muscle cells and replace it with calcium. This gives muscles their needed rigidity to defend against a foe. But, this magnesium does not necessarily re-enter the muscle cells once the stress is over.

250 References Found Magnesium Deficiency and Stress are Related
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is the average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97-98 percent) individuals in each life-stage and gender group.30, 31 Life Stage Men Women

Ages 14 - 18 410 mg 360 mg
Ages 19 - 30 400 mg 310 mg
Ages 31 + 420 mg 320 mg

A 1994 review of more than 250 references found magnesium deficiency and stress are related. In the authors' words:
"When magnesium (Mg) deficiency exists, stress paradoxically increases risk of cardiovascular damage including hypertension, cerebrovascular and coronary constriction. . . .Dietary imbalances such as high intakes of fat and/or calcium (Ca) can intensify Mg inadequacy, especially under conditions of stress...Thus, stress, whether physical (i.e. exertion, heat, cold, trauma, burns), or emotional (i.e. pain, anxiety, excitement, or depression) and dyspnea [breathing difficulties] as in asthma increases need for Mg."

Foods Containing Magnesium
Magnesium is found in many foods, but usually in small amounts. A single food will not meet your daily magnesium needs. A variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains can supply your magnesium requirements as well as make for a more delectable menu. Water can also provide magnesium, although "hard water"has more magnesium than "soft water".
Check the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) and Table of Food Sources of Magnesium for more information. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is the average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97-98 percent) individuals in each life-stage and gender group.30, 31 Life Stage Men Women

Ages 14 - 18 410 mg 360 mg
Ages 19 - 30 400 mg 310 mg
Ages 31 + 420 mg 320 mg

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