If you are familiar with health and wellness, you’ve heard of free radicals and antioxidants. But, do you really know the role they play in disease and the aging process? Scientific literature has consistently backed up the important functions of antioxidants for years. We explain why your body needs plenty of antioxidants and how IMMUNE+++ can help support your overall well-being. 

Free Radicals

Scientific discoveries in the 1980s led to the further exploration of defining antioxidants and understanding why they are needed to help our body function. Essentially, your body needs antioxidants to fight free radicals. The concept of free radical formation was first discovered in 1954 by biogerontologist Denham Harman. Harman was looking for answers on how the body ages and identified a highly reactive metabolite naturally produced by your body (free radicals). This metabolite is produced as a result of normal metabolism and energy production. 

When you’re exposed to environmental toxins such as sunlight, chemicals, cigarette smoke, exercise-induced inflammation, natural metabolic processes and radiation, free radicals are produced in your body. The molecules that make up free radicals are missing one or more electrons. In order to replace their missing parts, the molecules attack other molecules in your system. This reaction is called oxidation. When free radicals take electrons from the proteins or fats in your body, it damages cell structures and DNA.  

Antioxidants

As free radicals start to disrupt your cell structures (leading to tissue degradation), micronutrients (in the form of antioxidants) come to the rescue to break the free radical chain. They act as electron donors, giving up their own electrons to neutralize free radicals. However, if your body doesn’t have an adequate supply of antioxidants, the free radicals will take over, accelerating tissue and organ damage and putting you at risk for a host of diseases.

Harmful Effects of Free Radical Production

Overproduction and accumulation of free radicals leads to chronic conditions such as clogging of the arteries, cell mutations, blood sugar abnormalities, joint soreness, cardiovascular conditions, inflammation, aging and other degenerative conditions.

Oxidative stress is one of the prime causes for cell death and damage, especially in brain cells. Nerve cells are highly susceptible to oxidative stress-induced injury because of their high metabolic rates. An insufficient level of antioxidants and oxidative damage to DNA and biomolecules has been noted during the pathogenesis of aging and disease processes of the nerve system. This can include the nerves, spinal cord and brain. 

Biological systems have an internal defense mechanism in place to fight against intracellular free radicals. However, at a certain point this fails due to the overproduction of free radicals. Hence, if an individual can consume quantities of alternate sources of antioxidants, this may afford substantial protection to cells and slow down the process of aging and neurodegeneration (nerve decaying).

IMMUNE+++ and Life-C Blend

Vitamin C, a traditional antioxidant, has a wide range of incredible health benefits. The vitamin C found in IMMUNE+++ has numerous good-for-you functions. Some antioxidants are water soluble and some are fat soluble and you need both to fight free radicals. Water soluble antioxidants are dissolved within the cell, which is a water system. 

Vitamin C is usually a water soluble antioxidant. The Life-C blend ,a unique delivery system exclusive to IMMUNE+++, is two times more bioavailable than regular forms of vitamin C and stays in the bloodstream twice as long. Part of this function is due to its combination of lipids which enhances its bioavailability.

IMMUNE+++ and Sea Buckthorn

Sea Buckthorn (botanical name Hippophae rhamnoides) is an edible, nutrient rich plant found in the northern regions of India. It is well known for its traditional pharmacological and traditional medicinal value. It is also native to Europe and Asia, but is domesticated in several parts of the world due to its abundant nutritional properties. 

Its known benefits include:

• Antioxidants
• Immunomodulatory properties
• Antiatherogenic protection
• Liver protection
• Protection from radiation
• Tissue regeneration properties

Sea Buckthorn has been found to be high in carotenoids especially α-T and β-carotene, which are lipophilic (fat soluble) antioxidants, accounting for 78.3 to 97 percent of components in different parts of the Sea Buckthorn plant. Fat soluble antioxidants play a significant role in protection against oxidative stress.1 

Another group of compounds are the polyphenol group, especially found in the berries of Sea Buckthorn. The herb and berries contain flavonoids, quercetin and kaempferol glycosides. Sea Buckthorn also contains a high content of natural vitamin C.2 These additional components are also very important to healthful functions in supporting the availability and functions of vitamin C in various tissues throughout the body. 

Although Sea Buckthorn is an important herb and botanical in the IMMUNE+++ formula, there are other equally relevant herbs and berries also known for their high antioxidant content. These are Camu Camu, Acerola, Ashwagandha and Pomegranate—all of which are also found in IMMUNE+++. This unique formula is further fortified with three traditional medicinal mushrooms, which research has shown benefits for protecting nerve cells and remarkable immune support because of their high antioxidant content. 

Your immune system needs to stay strong to fortify your body against the millions of external illnesses and bacteria it faces on a daily basis. IMMUNE+++ with its advanced antioxidant containing herbs and berries helps fight free radical damage, which is now known for its destructive aging effects.