Breathing, it's the one thing that all of us have been doing for all our lives without much instruction or encouragement, apart from the gentle slap on our bottoms administered by the midwife or doctor upon our arrival on this planet.
Oxygen is indeed vital to our existence.
Relax your shoulders, inhale as deeply as you can, pause briefly and then release the air from your lungs slowly.
Do this several times.
Feels great doesn't it? Breathing deeply has a relaxing effect and when we breathe deep and fast, as we do during aerobic exercise, we feel invigorated and may even experience a sense of euphoria.
At this point you may be wondering where I'm going with this.
Well, here's the big reveal: Oxygen has a Dark Side! Although oxygen is essential for life itself, it is also inherently dangerous.
Yes, that same breath fuelling your continued existence, is also causing damage to various tissues in your body.
As you utilise oxygen to create energy in the "battery" of each cell, called the mitochondria, you will occasionally also create what is known as free radicals.
These chemically unstable free radicals have an insatiable thirst to 'steal' electrons from surrounding stable atoms and molecules in different tissues and organs of the body.
It is estimated that upwards of 200,000 free radical attacks occur in our bodies daily.
Effectively they satisfy their own needs, but also leave behind damaged cells and tissues, a process called oxidative stress.
To make an extreme point, it is estimated that a person exposed to pure oxygen would not be able to live for more than 2 days! Experiments conducted on mice that are given higher oxygen levels show them to have reduced life spans.
Recent research has also shown free radicals to be a leading cause of accelerated ageing.
Free radical damage is now being linked to various diseases including heart disease, arthritis, cancer, Alzheimer's and diabetes to name just a few.
The best illustration I have used over the years to explain this process is to imagine that you are sitting at home observing your wood fireplace on a cold night.
The wood burns just fine the majority of the time; however, occasionally there is a "pop" and a hot cinder leaps out of the fire and burns a small hole in your carpet.
This small burn of course is not a big deal, but if this continues week after week and month after month, you'll develop a very ragged carpet in front of your fireplace.
Consider the fireplace as the furnace (mitochondria) of your cells and the hot cinder represents a free radical.
The carpet of course, is your body.
Now, what disease you develop over time will depend on which part of the body wears out first.
If it is the brain, you could end up with Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's dementia.
If it is your eyes, you could develop a cataract or macular degeneration.
If it is your arteries, you could have a heart attack or stroke.
If it is your bowels, you could develop Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.
The good news is that you are not defenseless against this process.
We have an army of substances called antioxidants, which are able to neutralise free radicals and render them harmless.
Antioxidants are like the fine wire mesh that you place in front of your fireplace.
The sparks are still going to fly, however, the carpet (your body) will be protected.
Although our bodies are able to produce some antioxidants, a significant proportion is derived from foods and nutritional supplements.
We get most of our dietary antioxidants from fruits and vegetables.
The most common antioxidants are Vitamins A, C, E and beta-carotene.
Others include Co-enzyme Q10, alpha-lipoeic acid, Glutathione and the colourful bioflavinoids.
It's important to realise that different anti-oxidants work synergistically to disarm free radicals in the body.
The more we have, the merrier.
The highest ranked antioxidant foods in the four major categories are as follows: Fruits: blueberries, cranberries, acai berries, goji berries, blackberries avocado, pomegranate and mango Vegetables: beans, artichoke hearts, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, kale, carrots, sweet potatoes Nuts: pecans, walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts.
Spices: cinnamon, oregano, turmeric, garlic and ground cloves Drinks: green tea, red wine Balance is the key to winning the ongoing war within.
The quality of your antioxidant defense mechanisms is directly linked to the quality of your nutrition.
In order to win, our bodies must always be armed with more antioxidants than free radicals.
Oxygen is indeed vital to our existence.
Relax your shoulders, inhale as deeply as you can, pause briefly and then release the air from your lungs slowly.
Do this several times.
Feels great doesn't it? Breathing deeply has a relaxing effect and when we breathe deep and fast, as we do during aerobic exercise, we feel invigorated and may even experience a sense of euphoria.
At this point you may be wondering where I'm going with this.
Well, here's the big reveal: Oxygen has a Dark Side! Although oxygen is essential for life itself, it is also inherently dangerous.
Yes, that same breath fuelling your continued existence, is also causing damage to various tissues in your body.
As you utilise oxygen to create energy in the "battery" of each cell, called the mitochondria, you will occasionally also create what is known as free radicals.
These chemically unstable free radicals have an insatiable thirst to 'steal' electrons from surrounding stable atoms and molecules in different tissues and organs of the body.
It is estimated that upwards of 200,000 free radical attacks occur in our bodies daily.
Effectively they satisfy their own needs, but also leave behind damaged cells and tissues, a process called oxidative stress.
To make an extreme point, it is estimated that a person exposed to pure oxygen would not be able to live for more than 2 days! Experiments conducted on mice that are given higher oxygen levels show them to have reduced life spans.
Recent research has also shown free radicals to be a leading cause of accelerated ageing.
Free radical damage is now being linked to various diseases including heart disease, arthritis, cancer, Alzheimer's and diabetes to name just a few.
The best illustration I have used over the years to explain this process is to imagine that you are sitting at home observing your wood fireplace on a cold night.
The wood burns just fine the majority of the time; however, occasionally there is a "pop" and a hot cinder leaps out of the fire and burns a small hole in your carpet.
This small burn of course is not a big deal, but if this continues week after week and month after month, you'll develop a very ragged carpet in front of your fireplace.
Consider the fireplace as the furnace (mitochondria) of your cells and the hot cinder represents a free radical.
The carpet of course, is your body.
Now, what disease you develop over time will depend on which part of the body wears out first.
If it is the brain, you could end up with Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's dementia.
If it is your eyes, you could develop a cataract or macular degeneration.
If it is your arteries, you could have a heart attack or stroke.
If it is your bowels, you could develop Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.
The good news is that you are not defenseless against this process.
We have an army of substances called antioxidants, which are able to neutralise free radicals and render them harmless.
Antioxidants are like the fine wire mesh that you place in front of your fireplace.
The sparks are still going to fly, however, the carpet (your body) will be protected.
Although our bodies are able to produce some antioxidants, a significant proportion is derived from foods and nutritional supplements.
We get most of our dietary antioxidants from fruits and vegetables.
The most common antioxidants are Vitamins A, C, E and beta-carotene.
Others include Co-enzyme Q10, alpha-lipoeic acid, Glutathione and the colourful bioflavinoids.
It's important to realise that different anti-oxidants work synergistically to disarm free radicals in the body.
The more we have, the merrier.
The highest ranked antioxidant foods in the four major categories are as follows: Fruits: blueberries, cranberries, acai berries, goji berries, blackberries avocado, pomegranate and mango Vegetables: beans, artichoke hearts, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, kale, carrots, sweet potatoes Nuts: pecans, walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts.
Spices: cinnamon, oregano, turmeric, garlic and ground cloves Drinks: green tea, red wine Balance is the key to winning the ongoing war within.
The quality of your antioxidant defense mechanisms is directly linked to the quality of your nutrition.
In order to win, our bodies must always be armed with more antioxidants than free radicals.
Source...