Antioxidants are our body’s major protection against the injury triggered by free radicals which contribute to many chronic inflammatory and degenerative ailments. Oxy radicals are the root cause of premature aging. Among all the antioxidants, a group of five are identified as Network Antioxidants. This group of both water and fat soluble antioxidants work together to help your cells and do the job together to support each other.
When an antioxidant contributes an electron to restore a free radical, it actually becomes one, but a benign one without the potential to perpetuate the chain reaction. Unfortunately, when they are oxidized, they’re also not able to function effectively. But, what is special about the network antioxidants is that are able to help to regenerate each other and carry on 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 and the cell mitochondria, and the water soluble antioxidants, Vitamin C and Glutathione protect the center of the cell. ALA – Alpha Lipoic Acid is unique in that it is both fat and water soluble.
Vitamin C is the link which bridges the fat soluble and water soluble antioxidants in the network and is largely responsible for recharging Vitamin E when it becomes oxidized.
Vitamin E is closely aligned with heart attack prevention, because it’s the only antioxidant that can reach fatty parts of the cell that are not accessible to the rest of the network. It’s really not a single compound but is instead a family of fat soluble alcohols.
CoEnzymeQ-10 or CoQ-10 is found in each your cells, where it is concentrated in the mitochondria, the component of your cell that generates energy. Mitochondria are vulnerable to free radical damage which has been evidenced as a decline of energy as we age. Additionally, CoQ-10 works in the regeneration of Vitamins C, E and Glutathione
Glutathione, popularly regarded as the Body’s Master antioxidant is continually circulating through your cells, repairing your immune cells and cleaning cellular waste from your body. It supports the rejuvenation of all of the remaining network antioxidants. Raising your glutathione levels helps protect you from several inflammatory conditions, autoimmune diseases, chronic fatigue syndrome, asthma and others.
Alpha Lipoic Acid is unique among the Network Antioxidants in that it is both fat and water soluable and can support both the fatty membrane and water based interior of the cells. It is also uniquely capable of repairing itself and notably can regenerate the other network antioxidants including glutathione. It helps to stop muscle damage during strenuous workouts.
Like glutathione and CoEnzyme Q-10, ALA is produced by your body, but the production capacity decreases appreciably as we age.