throughout the body, creating damage anywhere. These toxins are
known to be carcinogenic and even have the potential to cause genet-
ic mutations.
The damage from free radicals, oxidative stress, results in what
we know as aging. The more of this damage, the more physiological-
ly older we become. Fortunately, the body has an effective way to
combat this problem. The antioxidant system controls free radicals by
chemically changing them to harmless compounds. This system
requires raw materials to function — nutritional antioxidants from
food — and key places in the body to perform this task — the aerobic
muscle fibers. Too much free-radical activity, too little antioxidant
activity, or both, speeds the aging process, sometimes significantly.
Antioxidants to the Rescue
Throughout this book I’ve mentioned the importance of antioxidants
(sometimes called free-radical scavengers). But there are two key
groups of them. The most common group of antioxidants includes
vitamins A, C and E, beta-carotene, selenium, the bioflavanoids, and
phytonutrients such as phenols. As powerful as these are, there’s a
more potent antioxidant: glutathione.
Glutathione is not found in food and can’t be taken in a pill (it’s
broken down in the stomach), although now intravenous and trans-
dermal forms are being used. The best way to get enough glutathione
is to give the body what it needs to make it — certain other antioxi-
dants. The most potent of these include the amino acid cysteine,
found in animal protein (especially whey); the phytonutrient
sulphoraphan, high in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli but
very high in broccoli sprouts (before their leaves turn green); lipoic
acid found in many dark vegetables and even beef (lipoic acid can
also be produced in a healthy body); and both gamma-tocopherol and
alpha-tocotrienol, parts of the vitamin E complex (however, too much
alpha tocopherol, such as the typical 400 IU dose, can reduce levels of
these other nutrients in the vitamin E complex).
The following is a list of the most potent antioxidants in order of
their effectiveness — the most powerful being those that help the
body make glutathione. As you can see, some of the most popular
nutrients, such as vitamins C and E, and especially the over-hyped
AGING GRACEFULLY • 339