Ultimate Antioxidant?

Ever since Dr. Denham Harman postulated the Free Radical Theory of Aging in the 1950’s, there has been an ever increasing focus on antioxidants to support both a long, youthful life. His research showed that free radicals cause damage to cells and that antioxidants can block that damage. Over the years the focus on antioxidants has expanded and is now a common household term, synonymous with health or healthy foods.

While antioxidants are generally healthy, the process of oxidation has its purpose. In fact, the best antioxidants work by creating a safe oxidation process. This includes providing antioxidant support for normal biochemical reactions in order to provide the protection we want, and also not interfering with the oxidation process that provides the protection we need.

You see, you body uses the process of oxidation to protect against dangerous microbes and pathogens. The immune system relies on the process of oxidation to support the body’s natural balance.

Based on this I would say the first criteria for the ultimate antioxidant is that it should support, not interfere, with this complicated system. Certain antioxidants, taken in high dosage, may interfere with this process.

In order to protect other vital reactions and to limit the production of damaging free radicals, preferred antioxidants actually fluctuate between oxidant and antioxidant in a complex system of checks and balances. While we have gained an immense amount of knowledge about this system, we are still infants to its knowledge.

In the consumer health market, we commonly make the mistake of thinking more is always better. As such we are bombarded with products offering stronger antioxidant properties in higher and higher amounts. This pushes the system of checks and balances far beyond what nature intended.

The Ultimate Antioxidant is centered around natural balance. The goal is to supply the raw materials your body needs to protect and nourish–to allow the natural system of checks and balances to function as nature intended; not to overpower and interfere.

So how can we possibly determine with the trillions of chemical reactions happening within our body every minute, what will protect and what will interfere?

Scientists will continue their quest to answer this question, but the solution will come slowly as bits and pieces of a very large puzzle.

In the meantime, we should look at what our bodies have become accustomed to over the many years of human existence. We need to look at what dietary components have been provided over these many years and how they can support the checks and balances of this complex system. Then we need to look at what amounts of these dietary components could be supplied by nature through consumption, and assure that we are consuming these compounds in approximately that quantity.

While I believe this philosophy holds true for all dietary components, the purpose of this site is to focus on vitamin E and a new product named VitaE8. I believe the proper use of vitamin E has the most potential to support health, and it is the most misused and commercially abused dietary supplement on the market.

I hope you will spend some time reviewing this site and the associated blogs.

To your health,

Dale Fowkes