< a href="http://www.wholeearthhealth.com/aio">Antioxidants are our body’s primary protection against the damage brought about by free radicals which contribute to many chronic inflammatory and degenerative problems. Oxy radicals are the root cause of premature aging. Among all the antioxidants, a group of five are known as Network Antioxidants. This team of both water and fat soluble antioxidants work together to help your cells and function together to help each other.
When an antioxidant donates an electron to regenerate a free radical, it actually becomes one, but a harmless free radical without the ability to continue the chain reaction. Unfortunately, when they are oxidized, they’re also no longer able to operate effectively. But, what is special about the network antioxidants is that can help to regenerate each other and continue the cycle of searching out and correcting free radicals.
Even though they perform together, the network antioxidants fulfill diverse tasks. The fat soluble ones, specifically Vitamin E and CoQ-10 protect the fatty cell membrane layer and the cell mitochondria, while the water soluble antioxidants, Glutathione and Vitamin C protect the nucleus of the cell. ALA – Alpha Lipoic Acid is unique in that it is both fat and water soluble.
Vitamin C is the link which connects the fat soluble and water soluble antioxidants in the network and is mainly responsible for rejuvenating Vitamin E when it becomes oxidized.
Vitamin E is closely aligned with heart disease prevention, because it’s the only antioxidant that can reach fatty portions of the cell that are not reachable to the rest of the network. It’s truly not a single compound but is instead a family of fat soluble alcohols.
CoEnzymeQ-10 or CoQ-10 is found in all your cells, where it is concentrated in the mitochondria, the portion of your cell that produces energy. Mitochondria are susceptible to free radical damage which has been connected to a decline of energy as we age. Additionally, CoQ-10 contributes in the regeneration of Vitamins E, C and Glutathione
Glutathione, properly regarded as the Body’s Master antioxidant is constantly circulating through your cells, rejuvenating your immune cells and cleansing cellular waste from your body. It supports the rejuvenation of all of the remaining network antioxidants. Increasing your glutathione levels helps protect you from numerous inflammatory conditions, autoimmune diseases, chronic fatigue syndrome, asthma and others.
ALA is unique amongst the Network Antioxidants in that it is both fat and water soluable and can benefit both the fatty membrane and water based interior of your cells. It is also uniquely capable of repairing itself and also can regenerate the other network antioxidants including glutathione. It helps to avert muscle damage during strenuous workouts.
Like glutathione and CoEnzyme Q-10, ALA is made by your body, but the production capacity reduces appreciably as we age.