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THE ANTIOXIDANT MINERALS
by MES
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 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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