Super Antioxidant

Super Antioxidant contains a unique blend of important nutrients valued for their ability to prevent free-radical damage. Providing an assortment of powerful antioxidants, Super Antioxidant offers optimal protection against the continual onslaught of free-radicals.

Free-radicals are highly reactive molecules which can destroy cellular compounds, including DNA. Free-radicals are derived from our environment, our foods, and are created in our bodies. However, certain factors increase free-radicals activity, such as alcohol or coffee intake, chemotherapy and radiation, eating fried foods, smoking, or even vigorous exercise. Free-radical damage to cells has been linked to the development of cancer and other debilitating diseases, including atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cataracts, osteoarthritis, and immune deficiency. Research shows that antioxidant nutrients can help prevent illness, treat degenerative disorders, and may even slow the aging process.1,2

Vitamin E (tocotrienols) Tocotrienols are members of the vitamin E family, occurring naturally, along with tocopherols, in grains and in rice and palm oils. Although their vitamin E activity is considered marginal, tocotrienols exhibit powerful antioxidant properties and are more effective in penetrating tissues having saturated fatty layers, such as the brain and liver. In fact, when compared with tocopherols, some studies found tocotrienols to have superior antioxidant effects. Research also shows that tocotrienols provide anticancer and antitumor activity, and more specifically, the apparent ability to inhibit growth of breast cancer cells. Furthermore, tocotrienols reduce platelet aggregation, lower cholesterol, and are believed to protect against heart disease, such as atherosclerosis, by preventing free-radical damage to arterial walls and by exerting strong lipid-lowering effects.3-5

Lycopene, a member of the carotenoid family, is the most abundant carotenoid present in human blood and tissues. Lycopene has been proven to exhibit significant antioxidant activity. A powerful singlet oxygen free-radical (one of the most destructive free-radicals known) scavenger, lycopene is regarded as twice as potent as beta-carotene and 100 times as effective as vitamin E. Research indicates lycopene protects tissues and genes from toxic elements, as well as prevents oxidation of LDL cholesterol, which can lead to atherosclerosis. Furthermore, lycopene is a more powerful inhibitor of human cancer cells than all other carotenoids, including beta carotene. In fact, high blood levels of lycopene have been directly associated with the prevention of prostate cancer.6,7

Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is a potent antioxidant which helps slow the aging process and can enhance brain function and memory in those with age-associated memory impairment (AAMI). Recent research indicates ALA protects the brain against free radical damage resulting from strokes, cerebral hemorrhage, or head injury. This unique antioxidant operates in both the fatty and watery regions of cells, increasing the metabolic life-spans of other antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, CoQ10, SOD, and glutathione. Furthermore, ALA helps reduce blood sugar levels by facilitating glucose metabolism, and has been shown to be particularly effective in treating diabetic polyneuropathy—nerve degeneration associated with diabetes, which results in pain, numbness, and tingling sensations in the extremities.4,8-11

Rose hips are a rich source of vitamin C, containing anywhere from 10 to 100 times the amount of any other food source. Vitamin C is the body’s most important antioxidant. Numerous studies show a high dietary intake of vitamin C is directly related to a reduced risk of death from heart attacks, strokes and cancer. Vitamin C also regenerates oxidized vitamin E in the body, thus increasing its free-radical scavenging benefits. In addition to vitamin C, rose hips also contain flavonoids—substances which provide remarkable protection against a vast array of oxidants and free-radicals. In fact, flavonoids are typically considered to have a more powerful, wider range of antioxidant activity than other antioxidant nutrients. Flavonoids also appear to alter the body’s response to allergens, carcinogens, and viruses, as evidenced by their anti-allergy, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties.2,12

Milk thistle fruit, also referred to as seeds, contains a chemical complex collectively known as silymarin. Recognized as a powerful antioxidant, silymarin concentrates its effects on the liver, guarding it against cell-damaging free-radicals. Silymarin’s antioxidant activity is actually much greater than vitamin C or E. Furthermore, recent studies show silymarin may also inhibit free-radical damage to DNA—resulting from exposure to ultraviolet light such as sunlight—which can cause skin cancer.2,13,14

Turmeric rhizome contains curcuminoids—substances which have been shown to provide potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties. Curcumin, the primary curcuminoid, is more than five times as powerful of an antioxidant as vitamin E. Curcumin has been found to chelate and neutralize the free-radical attributes of minerals (such as iron), inhibit oxidative enzymes, quench singlet oxygen free-radicals, and block formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines. One study showed that participants receiving 500mg of curcumin daily for one week, demonstrated a significant reduction in the free radicals which damage arterial walls.6,15,16