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published in: Taste for Life; May, 2002 | |
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Forever By Marcia Zimmerman, M.Ed., C.N. |
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"It is reasonable to expect, on Denham Harman, MD, PhD Has the mirror been less than flattering lately? All of us age, but how we do so is our choice. Scientists have been busily uncovering anti-aging secrets since the discovery in the late 1960's that the aging process could be delayed or even reversed by nutrition. The Baby Boomer generation is proving that aging and disease are not synonymous. But whatever our age, we can all intervene to slow and possibly reverse the process. FREE RADICALS IN AGING "The aging process is now the major risk factor for disease and death after about age 28," says Denham Harman, MD, PhD, who originated the free-radical theory of aging in the mid-1950s, while he was at UC Berkeley. "It is reasonable to expect, on the basis of present data, that the average life expectancy at birth can be increased by five or more years," he says, "by nutritious low-caloric diets supplemented with one or more free-radical reaction inhibitors." Although there are many theories of aging, the most widely held is that free-radical damage disrupts normal tissue and organ function. A free radical is a highly reactive atom, molecule, or compound that is missing one of its nutrition. In an attempt to replace the missing electron, the free radical searches for another molecule from which to steal and electron, in the process setting off a chain reaction as unstable molecules scramble for available electrons. Oxygen free radicals are the most common free radicals in the body; they are normal byproducts of metabolism. We also ingest free radicals from the environment and they too constantly bombard our cells. While nature has provided us with internal free-radical quenchers, fewer of these protective agents are present as we grow older, so increasing numbers of unchecked free radicals cause the degenerative changes we identify with aging. DNA, our genetic material, is sensitive to oxidative damage, as are proteins, the workhorses of metabolism and membrane-bound fatty acids. If DNA suffers irreversible damage, mutations that often lead to cancer will occur. ANTIOXIDANTS TO THE RESCUE Certain substances in foods and supplements can block the destruction that free radicals cause. Some, like vitamin E, donate an electron to stabilize a free radical. Vitamin E's missing electron is replaced by other antioxidants, including vitamin C, lipoic acid, glutathione, niacin and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). Because all of these antioxidants work in tandem, they offer greater antioxidant protection when used together, as in an antioxidants to ward off their own demise from free-radical attack. The pigments that color there plants belong to different antioxidant families. Fruits and vegetables colored yellow/orange, yellow/red and dark green contain carotenoids, a large family of antioxidants that includes beta carotene, lycopene and lutein. Eating the widest possible selection of these colored foods exposes your to a vast array of carotenoids and their diverse health benefits. Carotenoids protect against free-radical damage by mopping up free radicals before they attack cellular components, including DNA. |
BOOST IMMUNE DEFENSES Carotenoids also enhance the body's immune response by modulating the activities of lymphocytes, the immune system's scavenging white blood cells. These food compounds increase the lymphocytes' disease-killing activity and promote the release of various cytokines, the messengers that stimulate other immune activities. However, "it is virtually impossible to get the optimal amount of antioxidants from food alone," says UC Berkeley's Lester Packer, PhD. While foods should supply the major portion of carotenoids, supplements of natural mixed carotenoids can enhance the cancer-fighting ability of foods. Our internal oxygen free-radical quenchers include the enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase. These enzymes require trace minerals including copper, manganese and selenium. You can increase glutathione levels by adding sulfur-containing amino acids such as methionine, cysteine or N-acetylcysteine (NAC). In addition, zinc is involved in immune function and DNA repair. By taking these trace minerals in a supplement you can enhance your internal defense mechanisms. DNA REPAIR Oxygen free radicals leave pits in the individual strands of DNA as electrons are stolen. The resulting nick and breaks in the strands alter the way damaged DNA encodes for proteins. Although nature has provided a repair kit enzymes to correct DNA damage, over time our internal repair becomes less efficient, so more free-radical damage to DNA remains uncorrected. DNA damage by oxygen free radicals is a major cause of both disease and aging. Scientists have found that a water-soluble extract of cat's claw (Uncaria tomentose) enhances DNA repair, increases the number and killing activity of lymphocytes, suppresses the growth of tumor cells and reduces inflammation. This herb, also known as uña de gato, has a long history of use among the Campa Indians of South america and supplements are now enjoying popularity among heath enthusiasts in this country. The most widely touted active constituents of cat's claw are oxindole alkaloids, believed responsible for the immune-stimulating and anti-inflammatory activities of the herb. However, when cat's claw bark is prepared in the traditional manner by boiling for several hours and then decanted or strained, the resulting water-soluble constituents, collectively as carboxyl alkyl esters (CAE'S), are nearly free of oxindole alkaloids. Several in vitro (text tube) and in vivo (human and animal) studies have found that CAE's increase DNA repair, which reduces the possibility of genetic damage - the anti-aging endpoint. It may well be that CAE's are the substance that conferred longevity and health to the Campas. Decanting and straining cat's claw tea appears to be an important process for removing most of the insoluble oxindole alkaloids, which do not repair DNA and large tannins, which can cause digestive upset. It also appears that the aqueous extract of cat's claw is virtually free of adverse effects. A comprehensive anti-aging supplement program would include carotenoids, vitamin E, vitamin C, lipoic acid, trace minerals, niacinamide and the aqueous extract of cat's claw. This group provides a nutriceutical synergism that is unprecedented in anti-aging nutrition |
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Copyright©, 2001 by The Zimmerman Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. |
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