Socle Free-Ox Antioxidant
What is an antioxidant?
What are the proven antioxidants and recommended doses?
What is an antioxidant?
Antioxidants play an important role in maintaining a healthy body. They function by removing toxic by-products that are produced by metabolic functions in our body. There is increasing scientific evidence that indicates antioxidants help to reduce these damaging by-products (called oxidants). Excess levels of oxidants are the result of poor diets, exposure to air pollution, cigarette smoke, ultraviolet light and ozone as well as chronic diseases.
Even with a normal cholesterol level, oxidation of LDL, "bad" cholesterol, occurs, releasing the oxidants called reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS). Without the proper amounts of antioxidants, damage occurs to the blood cells and vessels promoting atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), which can lead to premature myocardial infarction (heart attack), stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. These diseases are a consequence, in part, of uncontrolled oxidation. Oxidants are also partly attributed to other chronic diseases such as arthritis, cancer, and lung diseases (asthma and emphysema).
What are the proven antioxidants and recommended doses?
The antioxidants proven to be beneficial to human health are Vitamin C, Vitamin E, selenium and lycopene. Vitamin A has been reported to have antioxidant properties, but clinical studies of Vitamin A and human use has actually showed harm with increasing rates of lung cancer. Other companies will falsely report glutathione as an antioxidant. Glutathione is not absorbable in dietary supplements but is manufactured by the body. Selenium is actually a cofactor for glutathione, but it is misleading to cite glutathione as an antioxidant that is available in a dietary supplement.
Besides the actual ingredient, the amount of each antioxidant is important. When used in the right dose, these antioxidants work in synergy to scavenge free radicals and slow or prevent the damage caused by oxidation. If dosed excessively, however, studies have shown that the protective antioxidant affect actually becomes a pro-oxidant effect.
This concept of “megadosing,” or excessively high doses, is not based on any scientific facts and can be damaging. Studies have shown that high doses of Vitamin C can cause nausea, vomiting, heartburn, kidney stones, drying of the mouth and mucous membranes, and blood clots. High doses of Vitamin E can lead to bleeding, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and cramps, to name a few.
The following diagram shows some of the information from the Institute of Medicine regarding antioxidant dosing.
The content and doses of Socle Free-Ox are based on recommendations from the Institute of Medicine and contains the right ingredients and the correct doses. With Socle, you can be certain you are getting exactly what your body needs--no more and no less!
Two sites with excellent anti-oxidant information are with the American Academy of Family Physicians and the National Cancer Institute.
