It was my first day starting on a new job as a Process Engineer. As I approached the building a swarm of employees ran past me barely avoiding running into me. What startled me most was that all of them had red eyes and tears streaming down their face. Entering the building I noticed a faint chemical odor. Upon questioning everyone I was able to isolate the event that caused the problem that prompted the exodus of so many people. The problem started when a maintenance employee sprayed a conveyor chain with a lubricant, a routine procedure, but this time there were people working in this area who utilized a powerful UV lamp to expose film negatives unto a glass substrate. The UV light interacted with the lubricant’s chemicals to form free radicals (atoms which have in their outermost electron shell an odd electron that had been cleaved from its pair).
Free radicals are highly reactive and when they recombine with other free radicals they can form some pretty nasty substances, as was the case when the UV light irradiated the lubricant spray. The lubricant formula contained bromine a “cousin” of chlorine. The bromine free radicals combined with other spray chemicals forming a lachrymator (tear generating) substance that caused the eye irritation.
This is an example of free radical damage that took place externally of our body.
Our bodies are made up of trillions of cells all of which undergo damage from free radicals. The Free-Radical Theory attributes the aging of cells and the consequent aging of our bodies in part to free-radical damage. The ongoing chemical reactions and the toxins(free radicals) cause much damage to the cells. With time this damage continuous ultimately curtailing and or disrupting cell functions to the point where cells die and of course the body dies too.
If the Free Radical Theory is either partially or totally correct, one could draw some conclusion that if we slow or eliminate free radical damage so that the life of a cell is extended, the aging process would be slowed allowing us to live healthier and possibly longer. Several years ago a huge highway sign read “The person who will live past 120 years is already born”.
The body is an incredible organism which does incredible feats. The body has the capability to develop compounds that protect cells against free radical damage. These compounds are called antioxidants, and they are numerous and varied. Some are produced in the body others from food and supplementation.
Below is a partial listing of some examples:
Vitamins- A, C, and E
Minerals- Copper, Zinc, Selenium, and Manganese.
Enzymes- SOD ( Superoxide Dismutase), Catalase
Amino acids- L-Glutathione
It has been estimated that antioxidant supplementation can take 10-20 years off one’s biological age.
The one and most important antioxidant in my 36 years in nutrition is the Reduced L-Glutathione.. The science of this antioxidant is staggering. Personally it is the one nutrient which bespeaks of my present state of health at this ripen old age of 83. The listing of the attributes of Reduced L-Glutathione is beyond this cursory review. It is a unique substance composed of three amino acids, (cysteine, glycine and glutamic acid) joined together. It protects every tissue, every cell, every organ in the human body. It is the most potent detoxifier not only in removing heavy metals but also DDT, epoxides (glues,resins), halides (chlorine,bromine,iodine,fluorine) and toxins produced by physical and emotional stress.
Limited listing of Glutathione attributes:
Glutathione blood levels decrease 17% between the ages of 40 and 60. Much older people with high blood levels in Glutathione can recover from diseases and accidents as well as much younger persons.I can testify to this having averted heart disease, a tumultuous fall., and a chainsaw accident.
Glutathione enhances immunity by regenerating immune cells.
Glutathione is a potent anticancer agent which can deactivate some 30 known carcinogens. It is the most stronger anti-cancer agent that the human body manufactures.
Glutathione is safe with no known toxicity found in humans. Solutions containing glutathione are used to protect the eye undergoing surgery.
Glutathione is selectively concentrated by the lungs in the fluids that bathe the airway passages and detoxify inhaled pollutants.
Glutathione significantly enhances the release of mercury from brain cells.
Glutathione supplementation in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders(ASD) showed improved behavioral, cognitive, social and physical symptoms by raising blood levels of glutathione.
Glutathione is highly perishable it loses its potency quickly which may explain in part why some people do not experience its full benefits. Manufacturers of glutathione have recently developed processes to stabilize and enhance absorption.
In future blogs other antioxidants will be reviewed for their benefits and their relationships and enhancement with Glutathione.
