Because the antioxidant
vitamins tend to get most of the press and publicity, many
people are unaware
that there are also important antioxidant minerals that are
essential to the body’s continuous battle against free
radicals and the damage they do. Making sure that the proper
nutrients are consumed
daily is a necessary part of helping the body to be able
to keep free radical damage as low as possible.
A mineral, vitamin or other nutrient is deemed
antioxidant if it, on its own or as an essential part of
a group of substances,
it serves to bring free radicals under control. Free radicals
are unstable molecules that generally come from both environmental
contaminants and some of the body’s natural processes. There
are certain minerals that are an integral part of managing
the free radical population within the body.
Selenium has come to be recognized as one of the most important
of these minerals, though each does play an important role in free
radical management. Selenium is an essential component of the antioxidant
enzyme glutathione peroxidase, and this substance is one that is
able to stabilize the free radical.
Since the universal acceptance of the mineral
selenium, a trace element, as an essential nutrient during
the 1950’s, researchers
have been studying the ways that it affects health. In 1973, researchers
confirmed the antioxidant properties of the mineral selenium, and
since then, numerous studies have demonstrated that it may play
a significant role in the prevention of certain types of cancers.
However, it should be noted that excessively high levels of selenium
can cause serious health problems – as can deficiencies of
selenium – and some studies have found excessively high levels
of selenium to be associated with other types of cancer.
The body is a delicate balance of a variety of chemicals
and substances, and optimum performance requires thought and planning.
The minerals zinc and copper form part of another
of the body’s
important antioxidant enzymes. This enzyme, called superoxide
dismutase, is present in the body in two forms. The first
form is found almost
everywhere in the body, and it needs zinc and copper to function.
The second form of this important antioxidant
enzyme, superoxide dismutase is found specifically in the
mitochondria, which is the
part of the cell responsible for changing the energy that
comes from the various nutrients into a form that can be
used by the
cells. In this second form of the enzyme superoxide dismutase,
it is the mineral zinc and the mineral manganese that are
essential to the antioxidant enzyme’s ability to function
properly.
Making sure that the body has all of the minerals, vitamins and
other nutrients it needs each day is very important for both day-to-day
and long-term health and well-being. Dietary supplements are a
safe and effective means of seeing that the body does have all
of the nutrients it needs for all of its systems to work at peak
performance levels, especially those that maintain daily health
and those that protect health over the long-term. However, nutritional
supplements are powerful agents, and must be used within the established
dosage guidelines to be beneficial to the health. Used in this
fashion, dietary supplements can serve as a valuable part of any
health routine.
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