Content provided in partnership with
Free-radical manifesto
Men's Fitness, Oct, 2003
MEN'S FITNESS is always going on about free radicals and how bad they are for you. Please tell me why.
--T.W., TAOS, NM
"Free radicals are created when you exercise or burn food," says Ron Rosedale, M.D., with the Rosedale Center for Metabolic and Longevity Medicine in Denver. "When you exercise, you burn more fuel, producing more metabolic by-products, including free radicals. Many people believe that it's the accumulation of damage from these free radicals that ultimately does us in." Free radicals do their dirty work by grabbing electrons from cell membranes and other places, injuring tissues in the process.
- Most Popular Articles in Health
- Fuel your workout: exercisers who eat before they work out have more energy ...
- Soothe a dry, itchy scalp: 5 easy expert solutions
- Cocktails and calories: Beer, wine and liquor calories can really add up. ...
- The sour truth about apple cider vinegar - evaluation of therapeutic use
- The, six best supplements you've never heard of: these secret weapons can ...
- More »
Lucky for you, your body has mechanisms in place to help counter these effects. "Antioxidant systems are found in virtually every cell to help quench free radicals," Rosedale says. In addition, you can take supplemental antioxidants to help ward off cell damage. "The most important antioxidants to take are the fat-soluble ones, because they're able to affect the cell itself," Rosedale says. Fat-soluble antis are able to mend the cell membrane, the most damaged part of the cell. Most water-soluble antioxidants can't penetrate the membrane to help repair the cell.
Rosedale recommends taking daily dosages of the following antioxidants.
* 800 IU of vitamin E
* Two hundred to 600 milligrams of lipoic acid, depending on your physical condition. For diabetics, Rosedale prescribes 600 mg--healthier, active people can use a lower dosage.
* 60 to 100 mg of coQ10
* 500 mg of vitamin C
COPYRIGHT 2003 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
Find Research Guides for:
Find Featured Titles for: News
Most Popular Articles in Health
- Fuel your workout: exercisers who eat before they work out have more energy ...
- Soothe a dry, itchy scalp: 5 easy expert solutions
- Cocktails and calories: Beer, wine and liquor calories can really add up. ...
- The sour truth about apple cider vinegar - evaluation of therapeutic use
- The, six best supplements you've never heard of: these secret weapons can ...
- More »