Much of degenerative disease is caused by toxins that we eat or breathe, or toxins that are created when we digest our food or simply in the process of living. You may have heard of " Free Radicals " or Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) , as an example. Those toxins then go on to damage our tissues, cause inflammation, create heart disease, strokes, cancer, diabetes, speed aging and age-associated problems, like macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and senile dementia, and many other disorders.

Much of the damage due to those toxins are reduced by the consumption of protective chemicals called "anti-oxidants" and "anti-glycation" agents. Since this damage occurs over a long period of time, any effective reduction of the damage must also be long term. Many antioxidants are obtained from food, and some may be taken as supplements. There are many types of antioxidants, including:

Phenolics

Sulfur Compounds

Carotenoids

Vitamin and Mineral Antioxidants:

• Vitamin E

  Vitamin E is the backbone of the oral antioxidants. What most people refer to as vitamin E is really only one of eight cousins (isoforms), four from the "tocopherol" group, and four from the "tocotrienol" group. All of these isoforms seem to have a different function and benefit, and so should be consumed or taken together with vitamin E. In fact, there is some evidence that there are negative health consequences of taking only vitamin E capsules, because it can reduce the amounts of the other important isoforms in the body.

• Vitamin-A

  Also, just like vitamin E, do not take only Vitamin-A. Instead, consume a variety of carotenoids as described above.

• Vitamin C

  There is controversy about the amounts of Vitamin C (ascorbate) that is beneficial, and if enough is absorbed to justify taking large quantities. But the evidence seems convincing that high doses of vitamin C, by mouth (ascorbic acid) and by I.V. (sodium ascorbate), are safe and effective for greatly increasing blood and tissue levels.

  "Ascorbate is the only free radical scavenger that we can ingest in the huge amounts necessary to provide the number of electrons to neutralize the massive amounts of free radicals generated by most diseases."
  - Robert F. Cathcart, MD

  High levels appear useful for preventing and treating damage, inflammation and pain involving free radicals generated by a wide variety of severe traumas and disease processes. Such diseases and traumas that could potentially be treated by large doses of ascorbate include infections, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, thermal and radiation burns, surgeries, other injuries and traumas, allergies, autoimmune diseases and aging. Vitamin C has specifically been used for cancers, used for polio, and many diseases and disorders.

  Do not take vitamin-C in the "Ester-C" form.

• Endogenous Antioxidants

  Endogenous Antioxidants are crucial substances that our bodies make internally, but that supplementation may become useful as we age.

Herbs and Spices

• COLOR:

  Look for fruits, vegetables and herbs that are dark green, blue, purple, red, orange and yellow (or mixtures of these). If it will easily stain your shirt, there is a good chance that it contains lots of antioxidants. Examples include spinach, blueberries, red beets, tomatoes, pomegranate, broccoli, turmeric, etc...

• ODOR & FLAVOR:

  foods, herbs and spices that have a strong odor and strong flavor are usually high in antioxidants. Examples include garlic, onion, oregano, ginger, cilantro, cinnamon, cloves, rosemary, sage, etc... Spices and vegetables with strong flavors also tend to have anti-microbial and antibiotic properties, and an interesting suggestion has been made that our taste for these foods is an evolved trait because people with that trait were possibly less likely to die of microbial contamination of foods.

Synergism