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Health & Fitness

WHAT IS OXIDATIVE STRESS

Oxygen is essential for life itself.  Did you know it is also dangerous to our existence?  As a result, we are essentially rusting both inside and out.  The same process that causes a cut apple to turn brown, or iron to rust is the cause of all the chronic degenerative diseases and also the aging process.   Oxidative stress is the cause of wrinkles, sagging skin and age spots.  Aging is a process we all know has to happen, but when you look at a baby's face next to the grandparents face you see a big difference.  This aging of the skin is an outward manifestation of "oxidative stress", which is occurring within every cell in your body.   To give you an example, imagine yourself in front of a crackling fireplace.  On occasion out pops a hot cinder that lands on your rug and burns a little hole in it.  It doesn't cause much of a threat one time, but if it continues month after month, year after year, your carpet will ruin pretty quick.   Within every cell of the body is a furnace called the mitochondria.  Mitochondria manages the respiration and energy production processes in cells.  The fireplace represents the furnace of the cell (the mitochondria), the cinder is the charged "free radical" and the carpet is your body.  Whichever part of your body receives the most free radical damage will be the first to wear out and potentially cause one of these degenerative diseases. If it's your arteries, you could develop a heart attack or stroke.  If it is your brain, you develop Alzheimer's, dementia or Parkinson's disease.  If it's your joints you could develop arthritis.   Through biochemical research we're learning that we are not defenseless against this attack on our body by free radicals.  Antioxidants are the glass doors or fine-wire mesh we place in front of our fireplace.  The sparks are still going to fly, but our carpet will then be protected.  As you begin to imagine the war that is taking place within every cell in your body, you can envision the two opposing forces: the enemy - free radicals; and your allies - antioxidants and their supporting nutrients.    This is why we need lots of antioxidants to combat what is happening to every cell in our body.   www.donnacodelljuiceplus.com

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