freshness – purity – regeneration

ANTIOXIDANTS: IMPORTANT PARTS OF THE BODY’S PROTECTIVE SYSTEM

One of the most important procedures of our body’s metabolism is oxidation. Our cells gain energy from this and it ensures the temperature of our body as well. During this process some agents form which have an extreme high reactivity which means that they would like to form a chemical bond with a higher than average strength. These are the free radicals which are able to harm any living cell; according to research they play a role in aging and in the development of cardiovascular diseases like arteriosclerosis and the development of some types of tumors as well. According to experts we can discover the effects of the free radicals in the improper function of the immune system or in the background of aging.

In case of a normal healthy body the nutrients with antioxidant effects that we eat neutralize the free radicals. But it can happen that our diet does not contain enough nutrients which have antioxidant effects – for example if we consume less colorful vegetables and fruits than recommended. Our environment can also increase our needs of antioxidants; this can happen if we live at a place where the air pollution is high or if we live under especially high stress and pressure. After a while our body cannot neutralize as many free radicals, that is why it is very important that we help our body’s work as much as we can and maintain our health this way.

Among the most well-known antioxidant agents we can find Vitamin C, Vitamin E or the agents which give the colors of the plants, beta-carotene, flavonoids or selenium, manganese and zinc. Among these agents more contribute to the protection of the cells against oxidative stress. That is why we need to pay special attention to the proper intake of these agents. The recommended minimal intake is from Vitamin C 80 mgs daily, Vitamin E 12 mgs, zinc 10 mgs and selenium 55 microgram.

THE GENERAL DOGSBODY OF METABOLISM OR THE FUNCTIONS OF THE LIVER

It would be difficult to list all the work our liver does from the processing of the nutrients to the excretion of the unnecessary substances. But to keep our health and to help the normal function of the liver it is worth getting to know some of its roles more closely.

The liver is actually the central organ of the metabolism: all of the nutrients end up here which we consumed with our food, the carbohydrates, the fats and the proteins but the vitamins as well. First it decomposes these agents into smaller elements and then it transforms them (that is the way how sugar is transformed into fat) and it also stores some parts of them. And if it is needed it frees them and it supplies our body with energy and proteins this way.

The liver also helps the digestion since the bile is produced here which plays an important role in the absorption of fats. However the bile which depletes into the bowel system does not only take part in the digestion but it plays an important role in the detoxification of the body as well.

The production of the proteins which build our body takes place in the liver too. Most important of them are the proteins of the blood but the proteins which build the muscles are also produced here.
The substances which build our body also have a ‘wear out time’ so they need to be decomposed and rebuilt continuously. One of the most spectacular signs of this is maybe the decomposition of the hemoglobin which is the oxygen carrying protein of the blood: bile is produced from this substance which is decomposed by the liver and the agents which give its color deplete with the urine and the excrement.

The functions of the liver are so complex and complicated that in case of a problem we cannot substitute it with artificial means as opposed to the excretion function of the kidneys or the function of the heart. For this reason it is extremely important to protect the health of our liver and to provide every essential substance for it that it needs for its normal functioning and of course we need to avoid those which are harmful for it (for example toxins, smoking, and alcohol consumption.)

St. Mary’s thistle or more exactly the Silymarin which can be found in its extract is a well-known active agent for a long time which may help the protection of the health of the liver, the maintenance of the proper liver functions and the regeneration of the liver cells and tissues.