The antioxidant myth: a medical fairy tale

[Isabel]

I am surprised that this New Scientist article is given prominence together with your comments. The writer makes unqualified statements about unreferenced studies. Nor are any antioxidant dosages mentioned.

I think this article is more than a little suspect. Virtually world-wide, there has been and is, a concerted attack on the idea that supplemental nutrients have any health benefits. The efforts of the FAO and WHO to force CODEX Alimentarius upon humanity, in my opinion should alert us to a need to hold suspect any attempts to reinforce such compulsion.

From my own reading of relevant studies that assert that e.g., taking vitamin C supplements just make expensive urine, the doses used have been consistently very low. Researchers [and members of the medical profession] consider 250mg of vitamin C to be a high dose. It is not. Also, these researchers [and members of the medical profession] never discuss the very expensive urine resultant from treatment with [usually] toxic chemicals aka "medicines". I know of no evidence that mega-doses of vitamin C and other water-soluble vitamins have killed anyone: as a [retired] registered nurse, I've had more than enough experience of drugs that have killed people as well as having suffered very unpleasant drug "side effects" myself - i.e., until I woke up to the "myth of medicines".

Isabel

 

[Vulcan59]

My own research into Vitamin C eventually lead me to Linus Pauling, Noble Prize winner in Chemistry. But looking for a proper source of vitamin C lead me to another guy, Dr.Tim O'Shea. The bioavailability of the product is of extreme importance in my opinion. A French Canadian naturopath I once met, told me the same thing and infact he said that it is better to chew on the plastic containers of most health products than the products itself!! The way he said it in his French accent was quite hilarious. Wah-lah!!!

Anyway he then recommended me Usana. As far as I know Jean Pierre( the naturopath) is not involved with the company in any way. And by the way Usana is only available through Multi Level Marketing, ie you must know someone(who is ordering the product)before you can order their product (much like Amway).

 

[Cyre2067]

I wish the original would have allowed one to read the whole article for free. Unfortunately i cannot comment on their methodology without it. However, as someone who has a BS in biochemistry, and wrote a lengthy paper on "why we age", i can say with some certainity that IF you can up your NATURAL anti-oxidant level, it does indeed aid your metabolic processes and prevent aging.

Now the trick is in the IF and the NATURAL parts. Your body produces anti-oxidants in the form of proteins. These proteins absorb excess free radicals within the cells of your body. Free radicals are basically high-energy electrons that are a by product of normal cellular metabolism. These babies get seperated during ATP production within the mitochondria and can bounce around damaging all the machinery there. When they hit DNA they do damage leading to mutation.

Eating "anti-oxidants" doesn't help so much. The reason for this is that in order for them to work they must get into your cells. They go through your digestive system, your blood, etc. before they get there. They can help in that they provide the basic building blocks for natural anti-oxidants.

So naturally, one must ask, well how do i increase my natural level? The big thing i foudn in my research was excercise. 20 minutes of intense cardio a day (sweating, breathing heavy), aids your body in countless ways. This is one of them. When muscles undergo stress your body detects the damage, and ups the natural level of anti-oxidants to combat the rise in free-radicals being thrown off by metabolism. Doing so once a day keeps your body flooded with anti-oxidants and helps prevent you from aging.

I hope that helps clarify the article.