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ANTIOXIDANT-RICH
OILS HEAL AND PROTECT US FROM FREE RADICAL DAMAGE
Free radicals, oxidative stress and
premature aging
Free radicals, also known as "reactive oxygen
species" (ROS), are atoms or atomic groups that contain unpaired
electrons. Since electrons have a very strong tendency to
exist in a paired rather than an unpaired state, free radicals
indiscriminately pick up electrons from other atoms, converting
those other atoms into secondary free radicals, and thus setting
up a chain reaction that can cause substantial biological
damage. To protect itself from the damaging action of free
radicals, our bodies use substances called antioxidants, which
are also often referred to as free radical scavengers.
Oxidative stress is defined as the state in
which the level of toxic reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI)
overcomes the endogenous antioxidant defences of the host
(Bulger EM, Helton WS; 1998). This state results
in an excess of free radicals, which can react with cellular
lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, leading to local injury
and eventual organ dysfunction.
According to Dr. Denham Harmon, MD, PhD, the
process of aging is caused by the indiscriminate chemical
re-activity of free radicals leading to random biological
damage. If the free radical overload becomes overwhelming,
chronic inflammation, premature aging and degenerative diseases
result. His idea was confirmed by many practical experiments,
and it is now considered a major theory of aging. Dr. Harmon's
theory implies that antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin
E, which prevent free radicals from oxidizing (removing electrons
from) sensitive biological molecules, will slow the aging
process. Dr. Harmon launched his theory by showing, for the
first time, that feeding a variety of antioxidants to mammals
extended their life spans.
Free radicals are implicated
in more than 60 different diseases
In addition to premature aging, the destructive
effects of free radical chain reactions may be conducive to
the development of such widespread and serious health conditions
as peptic ulcers and gastritis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes,
infertility, renal, liver and lung disease, inflammatory and
autoimmune diseases, and cancer. Free radicals may damage
DNA and cause it to reproduce incorrectly, too rapidly, or
not at all. They can also change DNA to produce potential
carcinogens.
The fact that free radicals play a major role
in the formation of gastric ulcers has been confirmed by many
independent researchers. All known risk factors for erosive/ulcerative
gastric and duodenal disorders - such as smoking, excess alcohol
consumption, physical and emotional stress, etc. - deplete
the natural antioxidant defenses and cause a free radical
overload. As a result, the gentle, fragile mucosal lining
of the stomach and duodenum becomes one of the first tissues
to suffer from damaging chain reactions induced by free radicals.
To find out more about the role of free radicals in gastroduodenal
disorders and about the results achieved by their treatment
with antioxidant-rich pine nut oil, please press
here.
Free radicals alter the functioning of the cell.
While the cell is somewhat permeable to allow nutrients to
enter and wastes to be removed, free radicals change this,
causing leakage or clogging, and ultimately the death of the
cell. Free radicals interfere with the structures inside cells
that produce energy, and then leave the cells weak and defenseless.
Overall, it is now recognized that free radicals
contribute to more than 60 diseases. We can help body to "scavenge"
or "neutralize" free radicals before they cause harm by avoiding
environmental toxins as much as possible and increasing antioxidant
intake. Because antioxidant compounds are effective at very
low concentrations, we can gain protection from even moderate
dietary changes that increase antioxidant nutrients.
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Our
bodies protect themselves from free radicals by enzymatic
and non-enzymatic antioxidants
 Our
body has developed several endogenous antioxidant systems
to deal with the production of free radicals. These systems
may be divided into enzymatic and non-enzymatic groups. The
enzymatic antioxidants include superoxide dismutase (SOD),
catalase, and glutathione peroxidase. SOD catalyzes the breaking
down of a free radical called superoxide, which plays a major
role in lipid peroxidation, into oxygen and hydrogen peroxide,
which is further decomposed into water and oxygen by catalase.
Glutathione peroxidase is also used by the body to consume
free peroxide in the cells.
It is very important to note that, for maximum
efficiency, these antioxidant enzymes require trace metal
cofactors. SOD, for example, consists of proteins co-factored
with copper, zinc, manganese, or iron. Iron is also required
as a co-factor for catalase.
The most well-researched non-enzymatic antioxidants
include lipid-soluble vitamin E (tocopherol), vitamin A and
carotenoids (including beta-carotene), as well as water-soluble
vitamin C and glutathione (GSH). Glutathione, which is synthesized
intracellularly from amino acids cysteine, glycine, and glutamate,
is capable of scavenging free radicals either directly or
enzymatically via glutathione peroxidase. In addition, GSH
is crucial to the maintenance of enzymes and other cellular
components in a reduced state.
Pine nut oil is a uniquely rich natural
source of powerful antioxidants
Extra virgin
pine nut oil is a uniquely potent natural source of powerful
antioxidants, as well as antioxidant co-factors and “building
blocks”. First, it contains up to 56 mg/100 g of natural alpha-tocopherol
(vitamin E) – the most effective non-enzymatic antioxidant
for terminating the chain reactions of lipid peroxidation
in cell membranes. In its vitamin E content it is second only
to wheat germ oil and Gold
of pleasure oil. It is significantly richer in vitamin
E than any other common vegetable oil (for example, extra
virgin olive oil contains five times less vitamin E than extra
virgin pine nut oil). And, finally, it is very important that
pine nut oil contains a natural,  maximum-potency
form of vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol), whereas a vast majority
of vitamin E capsules sold as dietary supplements contain
synthetic forms of tocopherol (primarily dl-alpha-tocopherol
acetate), which are at best only half as potent as natural
vitamin E.
The next important group of antioxidant compounds
present in extra virgin pine nut oil are carotenoids. Carotenoids
are organic pigments occurring in plants and some types of
algae and fungus. So far, more than 600 of them were identified.
Their molecular structure makes them very efficient free radical
scavengers, resulting in a powerful antioxidant effect. Some
carotenoids (for example, beta-carotene) fall into the category
of pro-vitamin A. From them, our body makes retinol (vitamin
A), which is a potent antioxidant itself.
Pine nut oil is a rich source of carotenoids, supplying about
30 mg/100 g of these antioxidant and pro-vitamin compounds.
The fact that these carotenoids are dissolved in oil greatly
increases their bioavailability to our bodies in two ways.
First, the carotenoids are already released from the plant
matrix (under certain circumstances, this release may be difficult,
making carotenoids in some foods less usable compared to others),
and, second, fat is a necessary cofactor for carotenoid uptake.
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abundance of vitamin E and carotenoids alone would make extra
virgin pine nut oil an excellent natural antioxidant supplement,
but there is much more to its antioxidant activity. As noted
above, another major antioxidant, glutathione, is a tripeptide
synthesized by our cells from three amino acids: cysteine,
glycine, and glutamate. Pine nut oil, rich in essential and
non-essential amino acids, supplies all three of these glutathione
building blocks. Therefore, it is also an important glutathione
booster, capable of enhancing the free radical scavenging
performance of this major antioxidant both directly and via
glutathione peroxidase.
Finally, extra virgin pine nut oil is
exceptionally rich in trace metal cofactors for enzymatic
antioxidants superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase. It contains
20 mg/100 g of zinc, 16 mg/100 g of manganese, and 4 mg/100
g of copper - all of them required for maximum efficiency
of SOD. It also supplies about 19 mg/100 g of iron, an essential
cofactor for both SOD and catalase. Consequently, pine nut
oil not only provides our body with a potent boost of "external",
non-enzymatic antioxidants (vitamin E and carotenoids), but
also reinforces and optimizes the body's own enzymatic potential
for scavenging free radicals expressed through superoxide
dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase. This powerful
combination of antioxidants and antioxidant cofactors makes
pine nut oil an excellent nutritional source of health-promoting
natural compounds capable of neutralizing and reversing the
damaging effects of free radicals. Enhanced by its newly validated
ability to naturally enhance metabolism and improve digestion,
it makes pine nut oil a welcome addition to the growing list
of traditional healing super-foods from around the globe.
Omega-3 fatty acids, free radicals and
antioxidants
Omega-3 fatty acids are in the spotlight
of today's natural and holistic approaches to human health.
These healthy essential fats have been almost entirely forced
out of the everyday American diet by the commercialization
of our food supply by the food processing industry. In recent
years, extensive research and numerous clinical studies have
confirmed that omega-3 fats are involved
in many vital physiological processes in our body, and
that their deficit may cause or aggravate many serious medical
problems and conditions, including atherosclerosis, hypertension,
thrombosis, and other cardiovascular problems, arthritis,
irritable bowel syndrome, dermatitis, asthma, ADHD, gastroduodenal
diseases and even cancer. Therefore, adding a good source
of omega-3 fatty acids to one's diet is believed to be a good
way of improving or preventing these conditions.
However, almost any oil rich in omega-3s
goes rancid very easily, especially when its natural antioxidants
are removed by refining or distillation. This process is known
as auto-oxidation, and it generates millions and millions
of damaging free radicals. Bruce Fife, N.D., talks about these
unwanted side effects of taking unstable omega-3 oils in his
article entitled "The Facts on Flax"*:
"Polyunsaturated oils, including flaxseed
oil, are easily oxidized. When it oxidizes it kicks off a
series of free-radical chain reactions that affects all molecules
around it. Millions of molecules can be destroyed or oxidized
by the generation of a single free radical. Cholesterol that
is in close proximity to a polyunsaturated oil that is becoming
oxidized, as is the case in lipoproteins, will also become
oxidized. These oxidized, free-radical damaged oils are absorbed
into the lining of the artery walls and contribute to the
formation of plaque."
Oxidation and free radical formation is,
indeed, a major problem with flax oil for which no solution
has been offered so far. The oil is poor in natural antioxidants,
and starts going rancid as soon as it is pressed from the
seeds. Most commercially available varieties of flax oil,
both liquid and encapsulated, get rancid before they are consumed.
And even if they don't, there is no way to avoid oxidation
and rancidity once the oil enters your body. Once ingested,
it inevitably triggers free radical chain reactions, damaging
millions upon millions of healthy molecules. Your body tries
to stop these reactions with its own natural reserves of antioxidants,
such as vitamin E, putting these reserves under an unnecessary
and undesirable stress. As a result, the benefits of taking
flax oil may well be outweighed by the harm done by free radicals
and other toxic by-products of lipid oxidation. |
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Gold
of pleasure (wild flax) oil is rich in both omega-3 fatty
acids and powerful natural antioxidants
Considering the above, one inevitably
comes to a conclusion that none of the commercially available
sources of omega-3 fatty acids is fully satisfactory and completely
problem-free. While it is possible to achieve the required
level of omega-3 supplementation using either fish and fish-derived
products, or flax oil, it would be highly desirable to have
an omega-3-rich oil that would also be more resistant to oxidation
and free of toxic contaminants. The good news is that such
an oil does, indeed, exist. This is the oil of Gold
of Pleasure (wild flax).
From the times of the Roman Empire to
the Second World War, Gold of pleasure (Camelina sativa)
oil was a common edible oil all over Europe, and especially
in Germany, Scandinavia, and Russia. In Russia, it was much
preferred to flax oil because of its better taste and higher
stability, and commanded a significantly higher market price.
Gold of pleasure seeds produce a golden-colored oil with a
delicate, almond-like flavor, containing up to 45 per cent
of omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). In addition to valuable
omega-3s, it is uniquely rich in powerful antioxidants, primarily
tocopherols. At 110 mg/100 g, its vitamin E (tocopherol) content
is among the highest of all natural tocopherol sources. By
contrast, flax oil contains only trace amounts of vitamin
E.
The fatty acid composition of Gold of
pleasure oil is also unique and very beneficial in terms of
its health-promoting qualities. While being a rich source
of ALA, the oil is highly monounsaturated, naturally supplying
more than 30 percent of stable monounsaturated (oleic and
gadoleic) fatty acids. This significant proportion of monounsaturates
(monounsaturated olive oil forms the basis of the healthy
Mediterranean diet) further enhances the oxidative stability
of Gold of pleasure oil and makes it a more versatile cooking
oil.
The combination of these important advantages
makes Gold of pleasure oil
the most balanced and desirable source of omega-3 fatty acid
supplementation. While supplying almost as much omega-3s as
flax oil, it is highly stable and abundant in vitamin E and
other natural antioxidants, as well as beneficial monounsaturated
fatty acids. As a result, it does not promote the formation
of harmful free radicals. On the contrary, it helps resist
their destructive effects by providing powerful antioxidant
protection.
The delicate, pleasant taste and aroma
of Gold of pleasure oil makes it an excellent salad and cooking
oil. On our easy recipes page,
you will find many creative and innovative ways of using Gold
of pleasure oil in your kitchen.
If you would like to order cold-pressed,
unrefined Gold of pleasure oil or extra virgin Siberian pine
nut oil, please visit out order
page. If you want more information or have additional
questions, please send an e-mail to our licensed nutritionists
at consult@siberiantigernaturals.com.
We are looking forward to hearing from you!
For a printer-friendly
version of this page, please press here
*
Bruce Fife, N.D. The Facts on Flax. Excerpted from the book
Saturated Fats May Save Your Life, Piccadilly Books, 1999.
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