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The reports keep coming!

December 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment

David, our resident brains trust located this excellent scientific report on the de-acidifying effect of our water. he was researching an article on alkaline ionized water and the paleo diet, which I’ve added below.

Alkalising and the Paleo Diet

by David Kirby 

AlkaWay Alkaline Specialist

 The Paleo Diet, or Stone Age Diet, is based upon what human hunter-gatherer ancestors commonly ate in the Paleolithic era of pre-history. They relied mainly on a high-protein diet of meats and saturated fats for the majority of their energy. Lots of vegetables, some seasonal fruit and weight-bearing (carrying hunks of dead mammoth) exercise are also key parts of the Paleo Diet, but grains and processed sugars must be avoided.

 According to “Contemporary Nutrition: Functional Approach” by Gordon Wardlaw, there are still some indigenous peoples today who are considered hunter-gatherers, and many studies reveal their robust health, strong bones, and low incidents of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, depression and even dental caries.  The Neolithic era began after the Paleolithic and is marked by farming and agriculture of grains. But based on fossil evidence, human stature and health conditions reduced after this change, despite some of the advantages of growing domesticated crops.

 The Paleo Diet is based on a large variety of scientific research, although there is a concern that high-protein diets not balanced with lots of vegetables can lead to over-acidity in your body, or acidosis.

Paleo dieters need  a constant balance of;

 (a) the amount of protein consumed – excess protein turns to metabolic acid and

(b) sufficient greens – a daily recommendation is up to 7 cups of greens.

(c) carbohydrates – the aim of the diet is to remove carbohydrates from the body for many, many reasons including their acidifying effect.

 Too much protein causes the body to revert to glucogenesis; the body’s production of glocose. The aim of the paleo diet is to convert from a  glucose-fuelled metabolism to the natural template of ketogenesis.

 Sufficient greens counter this by neutralising acids including acids caused by glucogenesis production.

 .Acidosis  is quite simply when the pH of the blood falls below the bottom end of the healthy pH range (normal range is 7.35-7.45).
The greens are a natural detoxifier, alkalizer and antioxidant. Given that many Paleo dieters are also high performance athletes, a regular supply of antioxidants keeps inflammation at bay. However the ability of most people to manage 7 cups of greens a day can be difficult.

 Acidosis can be an acute condition (develops quickly) or it may be a chronic condition. Acidosis may not cause any symptoms or it may be associated with nonspecific symptoms such as lethargy, depression, nausea and vomiting.

 Acute acidosis may also cause an increased rate and depth of breathing, confusion and headaches, and it can lead to seizures, coma, and in some cases death.

Luckily there is a simple and easy solution to this issue. Recent studies at the

Department of Urology, El Mansoura Urology and Nephrology Centre, MansouraUniversity, have shown that in animal experiments that acid/alkaline parameters improved significantly after using ionized alkaline water compared with the conventional water treated with reverse osmosis (RO). Similar results were observed in urinary models. There was significant improvement of both the partial pressure of carbon dioxide and serum bicarbonate after oral ingestion of alkaline water.  The University quotes “Alkaline ionized water can be considered as a major safe strategy in the management of metabolic acidosis.“ 

 The University is about to start experiments in the very near future to confirm this issue in humans.

Therefore combining the Paleo Diet with drinking Alkalised Ionized water can be critical to better long term health benefits.

It may also help with the weight loss issues by helping neutralise acids that are normally stored in body fat to protect the body from over acidity.

 

References:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19527469

http://www.livestrong.com/article/540219-paleo-diet-acidosis/#ixzz2EtnEs6AD

http://www.labtestsonline.org.au/understanding/conditions/acidosis/

Filed Under: Alkaline Paleo Diet, alkalizing, Antioxidants, Low carb, low carbohydrate diet, scientific studies, Water Ionizers

Coffee Drinkers, You’re gonna LOVE this!

October 11, 2012 by Leave a Comment

We’ve been in Europe for six months and are about to return to Australia. Most of this time we spent in Umbria, Italy, on an organic olive farm. Now while this may seem ideal, consider the fact that over the last 2 years I have been fending off my own degeneration into Alzheimers’ with daily doses of around 4 tablespoons of organic coconut oil.

We actually brought 4 litres with us and when we ran out we attempted to order more. That’s where the trouble began. Italian customs is.. well, it’s no better than Indian customs and that’s a nice way of saying it. What that means is that I have been without my ordered coco oil for two months!

In the past, I (and Cassie) would begin to see the effects of this within a week. Lost muscular coordination, lost words from my vocabulary, lost short term memory.. pretty scary, quite frankly.

I have to add that Cassie has had me on her Alkaline Paleo Diet for the last 12 months, and her diet is formulated to convert our body’s metabolism from feeding on glucose to a ketogenic basis, which is our original (Paleolithic) form of energy in the body and our original brainfood.

And get this. I have also seen new research that postulates that the dreaded Amyloid Plaque, identified as the culprit in the brain for AZ, may now simply be the result of the oxidative effect of glucose on a long-term glucose-dependent brain! So converting to the Alkaline Paleo Diet and getting the benefit of this in a return to natural ketogenesis, may explain why, when I was deprived of my blessed coco oil this time, I experienced none of the backslide I usually felt when I ‘fell off the wagon’ of daily coco oil in the past.

But that’s not the good news for coffee drinkers.

I recently posted on Facebook that i was enjoying my Italian weekend including my coffee – and frankly in a nation where the daily drug of choice is coffee, we held out for some months but now we do one a day. And love it, dammit!

But here’s the good news. I get a daily newsfeed of news on Alzheimers’ and frankly, most days are rather depressing. But here’s today’s news item:

A new study has discovered a novel signal that activates the brain-based inflammation associated with neurodegenerative diseases, and caffeine appears to block its activity. This discovery may eventually lead to drugs that could reverse or inhibit mild cognitive impairment.

Yes, coffee drinkers of the world, coffee may assist in prevention of Neurodegenerative Diseases. Drink up!

Filed Under: Alkaline Paleo Diet, Alzheimers, Antioxidants, Uncategorized

Gut Flora and Alkaline Ionized water

April 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Yet another study has arrived from PubMed.com on the effects of alkaline ionized water. For the usual boring legal reasons I have to advise that if you click this link you do so of your own volition and not because I held out the promise of any therapeutic benefit to you. And of course I also need to advise that before considering any change to your health regimen you should consult a registered medical professional. That being said, you’ll get the info by clicking on the report below.alkaline ionized water

Filed Under: Antioxidants, scientific studies, Water Ionizers Tagged With:

Hydrogen-Rich Water cited for use in reducing the effects of radiation from Fukushima

January 29, 2012 by 1 Comment

It doesn’t take long for scientists to see the value of technologies that were ignored until the magnitude of the problem gets to ‘overload’.

It’s fair to say that the Fukushima meltdown in Japan is such an ‘overload’ situation, and this is why scientists at  the Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine, in Hirosaki, Japan, are suggesting that hydrogen-rich water similar to the water produced by our water ionizers be considered as a method of countering the runaway free radical activity created by radiation exposure. For me it’s validation of what we’ve believed for a decade – that water rich in hydrogen is a powerful antioxidant, possibly better than many antioxidant supplements and definitely better than most antioxidant-rich foods.

 

For readers interested in learning more, the study linked above linked and refers to this study and this one.

Filed Under: alkalizing, Antioxidants, scientific studies Tagged With: , ,

Metabolic Syndrome and Alkaline Water

January 28, 2012 by 1 Comment
As usual, when reporting on the growing volume of scientific studies of alkaline water, we need to tell you that if you scroll down to the article below you agree that you understand we are NOT offering any form of Therapeutic advice, nor are we saying or inferring that the consumption of alkaline water may have a beneficial effect upon your on health. We are bound by law to advise you that before you make any change to your current heath regimen you should seek the advice of a registered health professional.

Scroll down to read…

Metabolic Syndrome and the Effects of Alkaline  Water: A study.

Research team: Cidália Pereira, Rosário Monteiro, Alejandro Santos, Maria João Martins

From: ( mmartins@med.up.pt)

Adapted from the publication on 
Nutrição. In: Guias de Saúde. Volume 7. Vila do Conde: QuidNovi

Metabolic Syndrome.

The Metabolic Syndrome (MetSyn; also called Syndrome X or Insulin Resistance Syndrome) is a cluster of metabolic abnormalities that increase the risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus (or is associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus).

Individual components that define MetSyn include atherogenic dyslipidemia (alteration of blood lipid profile favouring atherosclerosis development and being characterized by high fasting blood triglycerides and low fasting blood HDL-cholesterol), elevated fasting blood glucose and (or) insulin resistance (more insulin is need to control/regulate blood glucose levels), elevated blood pressure, abdominal obesity and, most recently recognized, a pro-inflammatory and prothrombotic state [a state favouring inflammation and thrombus (blood clot) formation] (Zimmet et al 2005; Johnson et al 2006; Grundy et al 2006;  Feldeisen et al 2007; Alberti et al 2009; Simmons et al 2010; Wree et al 2011).

The increasing number of individuals with MetSyn, in the past 10-15 years, has been associated with several different factors. Although the exact aetiology of the MetSyn still remains unclear, it is known to involve complex interactions between genetic, metabolic and environmental factors. Among environmental factors, diet and physical activity are of central importance in the prevention and treatment of this condition. Some minerals, like calcium, magnesium and potassium, generally deficient in MetSyn-inducing diets, due to a low ingestion of milk, dairy products, fruit, vegetables, whole grains, beans and nuts, like almonds and walnuts, have been proposed protective against the MetSyn (Feldeisen et al 2007).

Minerals and the Metabolic Syndrome.

The high intake of sodium on one hand and the low intakes of potassium, calcium and magnesium on the other hand, produce and maintain elevated blood pressure in a big proportion of the population. Conversely, decreased intake of sodium alone, and increased intakes of potassium, calcium and magnesium, each alone, decrease elevated blood pressure. A combination of all these factors, that is, decrease of sodium, and increase of potassium, calcium and magnesium intakes, which are characteristic of the so-called Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diets, has an excellent blood pressure lowering effect (Van Leer et al 1995; Whelton et al 1997; Karppanen et al 2005; Geleijnse et al 2005; van Meijl et al 2008).
Research has indicated that low intake of magnesium, low blood magnesium concentrations and/or low intracellular magnesium levels may lead to and are associated with elevated blood pressure, MetSyn, insulin resistance, and/or type 2 diabetes mellitus (Song et al 2004; He et al 2006; Volpe et al 2008; Wells 2008). Experimental and clinical studies suggest that magnesium intake may decrease blood triglyceride and increase HDL-cholesterol levels (He et al 2006). Both individuals who did not have type 2 diabetes mellitus, but with insulin resistance and hypomagnesemia (low blood magnesium level), and individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus, with hypomagnesemia, showed improved insulin sensitivity and, for type 2 diabetic individuals, improved metabolic control (lower fasting blood glucose and lower glycated haemoglobin levels), after oral magnesium supplementation (Song et al 2004; Volpe et al 2008; Wells 2008). A strong inverse relationship between magnesium levels in serum and the presence of MetSyn has been reported, in a population of overweight or obese individuals (mean age around 66 years), in which serum magnesium levels decreased as the number of components of MetSyn increased (Evangelopoulos et al 2008).

Epidemiological studies have suggested protective effects of dairy product consumption on MetSyn development. Additionally, it has been published that calcium supplements improve the serum lipoprotein profile, particularly by decreasing serum total and LDL-cholesterol concentrations (van Meijl et al 2008). In overweight or obese women (mean age 43 years), who were very low-calcium consumers, decreases in body weight, fat mass and spontaneous dietary lipid intake have been associated with calcium plus vitamin D supplementation, for 15 weeks (Major et al 2009). Based on the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2001 and 2005) calcium intake is inversely associated with the risk of having MetSyn in postmenopausal women (Cho et al 2009).

Drinking water and its mineral content.

Several investigations evaluated the relationship between hardness of drinking water, or its content in magnesium and calcium, and the risk for cardiovascular disease or stroke. Results support the hypothesis that a low intake of magnesium in drinking water may increase the risk of dying from, and possibly developing, cardiovascular disease or stroke (Monarca et al 2006; Rylander 2008). An additional parameter to take into account is the acidity of the water (there is considerable evidence that acid-base conditions in the body influence the mineral homeostasis and it is known that acid load influences the reabsorption of calcium and magnesium in renal tubuli). It has been suggested that the health effects related to drinking water found in some studies may have been caused by an increased urinary excretion of minerals induced by acid conditions in the body and that drinking water should contain sufficient amounts of hydrogen carbonate to prevent this effect (Rylander et al 2006; Rylander 2008).
Natural mineral waters represent a substantial alkaline load and may influence mineral homeostasis in our body (Rylander 2008). Several papers in the literature point to calcium- and (or) magnesium-rich natural mineral waters as good sources of these ions (in which they are highly bioavailable), contributing to achieve their daily recommended intakes (Bohmer et al 2000; Sabatier et al 2002; Bacciottini et al 2004; Kiss et al 2004; Heaney 2006; Karagülle et al 2006). 

It is interesting to mention that, besides the influence on MetSyn components (see below), the mineral content of natural waters may have other preventive/beneficial effects.  It has been reported that in a Hungarian city the occurrence of preeclampsia varied pari passu with the magnesium content of the drinking water in different parts of the city (Melles et al 1992). In a different study, the consumption of 1L/day of a high calcium natural mineral water (supplement of 596 mg of calcium), for 6 months, reduced serum parathyroid hormone and indices of bone turnover in postmenopausal women with a low calcium intake (Meunier et al 2005).

Natural mineral waters and Metabolic Syndrome components.

Within the scope of beneficial effects in cardiovascular disease and MetSyn prevention, there are several publications showing that the ingestion of mineral waters with sodium bicarbonate is beneficial in lowering cardiovascular risk factors, including blood pressure (Luft et al 1990; Schorr et al 1996; Capurso et al 1999; Rylander et al 2004; Schoppen et al 2004; Almeida et al 2010a,b; Pérez-Granados et al 2010).

The consumption of 3L/day of a NaHCO3-containing mineral water, for 7 days, decreased systolic blood pressure, in mildly hypertensive men (Luft et al 1990) and the consumption of 1.5L/day of a sodium bicarbonate-rich mineral water, for 4 weeks, decreased mean arterial blood pressure, in elderly normotensive subjects (aged 60-72 years) (Schorr et al 1996). The daily ingestion of 0.5 mL of a portuguese natural mineral water rich in bicarbonate and sodium, Água das Pedras® (and with a higher content in magnesium, calcium and potassium than tap water from Porto city area, where the study took place), for 7 weeks, had no effect on blood pressure, in normotensive adults (aged 24-53 years) (Santos et al 2010). Also, administration of this natural mineral-rich water in an animal model of MetSyn did not increase blood pressure and improved some metabolic parameters (like plasma insulin and triglycerides levels) (Almeida 2010a,b).

Ingestion of a natural mineral water rich in calcium, bicarbonate and magnesium, as well as in sulphate, reduced blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) after 2 weeks (this reduction was kept until the 4 weeks of treatment) in individuals (aged 45 – 64 years) with borderline hypertension and with low urinary excretion of magnesium and calcium (Rylander et al 2004). In moderately hypercholesterolemic young adults (aged 18 – 40 years), ingestion of a bicarbonated natural mineral water (also rich in sodium, chloride and potassium; 1L/day), for 8 weeks, reduced systolic blood pressure (this alteration was observed after 4-weeks consumption, without significant differences between weeks 4 and 8), fasting serum levels of apolipoprotein B, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol as well as the ratios [(total cholesterol)/(HDL-cholesterol)] and [(LDL-cholesterol)/(HDL-cholesterol)] (Pérez-Granados et al 2010). In postmenopausal women, ingestion of the previous natural mineral-rich water (1L/day), for 2 months, increased fasting serum levels of HDL-cholesterol and reduced fasting serum levels of two markers of endothelial dysfunction, glucose, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol as well as the ratios [(total cholesterol)/(HDL-cholesterol)] and [(LDL-cholesterol)/(HDL-cholesterol)] (Schoppen et al 2004).

Conclusion.

Presently, with the increase in MetSyn and type 2 diabetes mellitus, associated with a high consumption of calorie-rich and micronutrient-poor foods, ingestion of natural mineral-rich waters may be beneficial. This effect may be even greater if ingestion of sweetened beverages is replaced by natural mineral-rich waters (Schulze et al 2004; Vartanian et al 2007; Feldeisen et al 2007).

References.
. Alberti KG et al. Circulation. 2009; 120(16): 1640-5.
. Almeida C et al. Chronic ingestion of a hypersaline sodium-rich carbonated natural mineral water on an animal model of the metabolic syndrome – effects on blood pressure and plasma metabolic profile. Press Therm Climat. 2010a; 147: 110-1.
. Almeida C et al. Effects of mineral supplementation on a wide spectrum of Metabolic Syndrome features. Study performed on a fructose-fed animal model. Public Health Nutr. 2010b; 13: 234.
. Bacciottini L et al. Calcium bioavailability from a calcium-rich mineral water, with some observations on method. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2004; 38(9): 761-6.
. Bohmer H et al. Calcium supplementation with calcium-rich mineral waters: a systematic review and meta-analysis of its bioavailability. Osteoporos Int. 2000; 11(11): 938-43.
. Capurso A et al. Increased bile acid excretion and reduction of serum cholesterol after crenotherapy with salt-rich mineral water. Aging (Milano). 1999 Aug;11(4):273-6.
. Cho GJ et al. Calcium intake is inversely associated with metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women: Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey, 2001 and 2005. Menopause. 2009; 16(5): 992-7.
. Evangelopoulos AA et al. An inverse relationship between cumulating components of the metabolic syndrome and serum magnesium levels. Nutr Res. 2008; 28(10): 659-63.
. Feldeisen SE et al. Nutritional strategies in the prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2007; 32(1): 46-60.
. Geleijnse JM et al. Impact of dietary and lifestyle factors on the prevalence of hypertension in Western populations. J Hum Hypertens. 2005 Dec;19 Suppl 3:S1-4.
. Grundy SM et al. Diagnosis and management of the metabolic syndrome: an American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute scientific statement. Curr Opin Cardiol. 2006 Jan;21(1):1-6.
. Heaney RP. Absorbability and utility of calcium in mineral waters. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006; 84(2): 371-4.
. Johnson LW et al. The metabolic syndrome: concepts and controversy. Mayo Clin Proc. 2006; 81(12): 1615-20.
. Karagülle O et al. Magnesium absorption from mineral waters of different magnesium content in healthy subjects. Forsch Komplementmed. 2006; 13(1): 9-14.
. Karppanen H et al. Why and how to implement sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium changes in food items and diets? J Hum Hypertens. 2005; 19 Suppl 3: S10-9.
. Kiss SA et al. Absorption and effect of the magnesium content of a mineral water in the human body. J Am Coll Nutr. 2004; 23(6): 758S-62S.
. Luft FC et al. Sodium bicarbonate and sodium chloride: effects on blood pressure and electrolyte homeostasis in normal and hypertensive man. J Hypertens. 1990; 8(7): 663-70.
. Major GC et al. Calcium plus vitamin D supplementation and fat mass loss in female very low-calcium consumers: potential link with a calcium-specific appetite control. Br J Nutr. 2009; 101(5): 659-63.
. Melles Z et al. Influence of the magnesium content of drinking water and of magnesium therapy on the occurrence of preeclampsia. Magnes Res. 1992 Dec;5(4):277-9.
. Meunier et al. Consumption of a high calcium mineral water lowers biochemical indices of bone remodeling in postmenopausal women with low calcium intake. Osteoporos Int. 2005 Oct;16(10):1203-9.
. Monarca S et al. Review of epidemiological studies on drinking water hardness and cardiovascular diseases. Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil. 2006; 13(4): 495-506.
. Pérez-Granados AM et al. Reduction in  cardiovascular risk by sodium-bicarbonated mineral water in moderately hypercholesterolemic young adults. J Nutr Biochem. 2010; 21(10): 948-53.
. Rylander R et al. Acid-base status affects renal magnesium losses in healthy, elderly persons. J Nutr. 2006;136(9):2374-7.
. Rylander R et al. Mineral water intake reduces blood pressure among subjects with low urinary magnesium and calcium levels. BMC Public Health. 2004; 4: 56.
. Rylander R. Drinking water constituents and disease. J Nutr. 2008; 138(2): 423S-425S.
. Sabatier M et al. Meal effect on magnesium bioavailability from mineral water in healthy women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002; 75(1): 65-71.
. Santos A et al. Sodium-rich carbonated natural mineral water ingestion and blood pressure. Rev Port Cardiol. 2010; 29(2): 159-72.
. Schoppen S et al. A sodium-rich carbonated mineral water reduces cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women. J Nutr. 2004; 134(5): 1058-63.
. Schorr U et al. Effect of sodium chloride- and sodium bicarbonate-rich mineral water on blood pressure and metabolic parameters in elderly normotensive individuals: a randomized double-blind crossover trial. J Hypertens. 1996; 14(1): 131-5.
. Schulze MB et al. Sugar-sweetened beverages, weight gain, and incidence of type 2 diabetes in young and middle-aged women. JAMA. 2004; 292(8): 927-34.
. Simmons RK et al. The metabolic syndrome: useful concept or clinical tool? Report of a WHO Expert Consultation. Diabetologia. 2010; 53(4): 600-5.
. Song Y et al. Dietary magnesium intake in relation to plasma insulin levels and risk of type 2 diabetes in women. Diabetes Care. 2004; 27(1): 59-65.
. Van Leer EM et al. Dietary calcium, potassium, magnesium and blood pressure in the Netherlands. Int J Epidemiol. 1995; 24(6): 1117-23.
. van Meijl LE et al. Dairy product consumption and the metabolic syndrome. Nutr Res Rev. 2008; 21(2): 148-57.
. Vartanian LR et al. Effects of soft drink consumption on nutrition and health: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Public Health. 2007; 97(4): 667-75. 
. Volpe SL. Magnesium, the metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2008; 48(3): 293-300.
. Wells IC. Evidence that the etiology of the syndrome containing type 2 diabetes mellitus results from abnormal magnesium metabolism. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2008; 86(1-2): 16-24.
. Whelton PK et al. Effects of oral potassium on blood pressure. Meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials. JAMA. 1997; 277(20): 1624-32.
. Wree A et al. Obesity affects the liver – the link between adipocytes and hepatocytes. Digestion. 2011; 83(1-2): 124-33.
. Zimmet P et al. The metabolic syndrome: a global public health problem and a new definition. J Atheroscler Thromb. 2005; 12(6): 295-300.

Filed Under: alkalizing, Antioxidants, Calcium, Metabolic Syndrome, scientific studies Tagged With: , ,

The Primal Antioxidant and Ionized Alkaline Water

January 17, 2012 by 1 Comment

What if you had.. and used..a really powerful longevity method.. but didn’t even know that you did?

Warning!
I am not qualified to make therapeutic claims. This article contains my story. It does not purport to make any therapeutic claims. The effects I experienced may not work with others and I recommend you talk to your registered doctor before you act upon the information I have given here.

 

I received an email today about this strategy. It was one of those long emails that end up selling you the latest supplement.. I’m sure you get them!

It talked about research carried out in Valencia, Spain, which attempted to discover why women outlive men.

Researchers discovered that women “over-express” a certain gene that in turn,triggers the production of a powerful “super enzyme.”1 This super enzyme apparently extends a woman’s life by supporting the health of every cell in her body.

Results were published in the journal of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies. You’d think the industry would be falling over each other trying to replicate it. But like many excellent studies, Big Pharma obviously looked at it, took out the calculator, and decided the returns weren’t astronomical enoughut most doctors are still in the dark.

Scientists who know about it call it the “Methuselah enzyme,” after the Biblical figure that lived for almost a thousand years.

Further aging studies found that animals that produce the highest levels had the longest health spans. And, when they genetically engineered fruit flies to have double the amount of this super enzyme, ruit flies lived twice as long.

So if we do have a method of increasing this magic ‘Methusaleh’ gene.. wow!

The email went on to describe how difficult it was to replicate, how many had tried, and yes, of course, how only they had succeeded. Just like all the other supplement selling emails I’ve read.

The super enzyme that continues to amaze researchers is superoxide dismutase or SOD.

One of SOD’s protective roles comes from being a big time free radical fighter. SOD rules over your body’s immune system and is your primary and self-generated antioxidant. As an antioxidant, it’s the most powerful your body has. Antioxidants that come from vitamins and food sources pale in comparison.

 
ANTIOXIDANT PROTECTION LEVEL
Primary Antioxidants
SOD Highest
Catalase Exceptional
Glutathione Peroxidase Exceptional
Secondary Antioxidants
Glutathione, CoQ10 Very Strong
Carotenoids, Vitamin E Strong
Flavinoids, Vitamin A, C Strong
Minerals, Proteins Moderate

Just look at this table to see where SOD sits!

SOD Production of  starts in the womb. In one study, genetically engineered mice whose bodies couldn’t make their own SOD died in just days from massive free-radical damage.2

Antioxidants only come from two places; body and diet. The ones our body can make – like SOD – are primary antioxidants and the most powerful.

Secondary antioxidants come from your diet or supplements like CoQ10, vitamin E, etc. Or…..

You’ve probably heard about secondary antioxidants like CoQ10. They are very powerful and very expensive. 

According to the email, the big ‘breakthrough’ was a new way to get SOD into the body instead of relying on us manufacturing enough at a cellular level. This is a a great achievement.. but is it the only way? The email claims that this new kind of SOD is ‘the only way to boost your body’s level of SOD’.

Why is that? SOD is such a fragile molecule, it was impossible for it to get through the digestive system without being destroyed. Ongoing research has shown:3

  • Free SOD is destroyed in the stomach.
  • Oral supplementation of free SOD does not increase tissue SOD activity.
  • A small percentage of SOD can be placed in the intestinal tract but cannot get past the gastrointestinal (GI) barrier.

So their ‘big breakthrough is enteric coating. They put the SOD into a capsule that doesn’t break down until it gets past the stomach. Nothing new. Sang Whang used it six years ago to create a bicarb supplement that could get past the stomach without being neutralised.

The email says that from the very first moment, and for as long as you use SOD, you can increase your health span.

This increase in the length of time you can live while still feeling healthy and happy, comes from powering up your immune system and zapping the free radicals that accelerates how quickly you age.

The Bad Guys: Free Radicals

Free radicals are the “bad guys” that damage your organs and tissues, causing them to age faster and fall apart more quickly. Some are simply metabolic byproducts. When your cells burn oxygen for energy, depleted oxygen molecules become unstable and may damage surrounding organs and tissues.

Free radicals are also generated when your body absorbs toxins and other poisons in our environment.

Every time you breathe in car fumes, cigarette smoke, smog, or chemicals, that’s causing a new swarm of free radicals. These free radicals tear through your body causing damage every moment of the day.

One doctor estimates that every cell in your body gets 10,000 free-radical attacks every day.How many cells do we have? 50 trillion cells. Ouch.

SOD keeps cleaning up the attacks on your organs and tissues and keeps them in a strong, youthful condition for much longer… depending on how much SOD you have.

That’s why the mice in the experiment mentioned earlier died without SOD. You can’t survive in the outside world unless you have enough.

SOD’s free-radical fighting power stands alone. There’s nothing better. Compared to vitamin C, it’s 3,500 times stronger.4

But SOD doesn’t just seek and destroy free radicals. That’s what secondary antioxidants do.

SOD Protects Your DNA

SOD makes every cell in your body more resilient and able to fight off attacks better from the outside. No other antioxidant even comes close to that kind of power.

What’s more, SOD safeguards your DNA, the blueprint your body uses to build every organ, tissue and cell in your body. Everything I’ve rad about antioxidants zeroes in on this; that free radicals can and do break down our DNA: our cell replicator. So we lose the ability to regenerate.

In a randomized, placebo-controlled study, researchers exposed two groups of people to high pressure oxygen. In the study, the control group’s delicate strands of DNA broke. But not the group taking the super new SOD supplement. Their cellular membranes remained virtually intact and even more important, there were no DNA strand breaks.5

SOD supports your immune system and safeguards your DNA in a way that fights off the devastating forces of aging.

That’s why the fruit flies that were engineered to have twice as much SOD in the experiment I mentioned earlier lived twice as long.

And that’s why you’ll enjoy a longer health span when you raise your levels of SOD.

All good so far.. but.. there’s always a but … not everyone has the same levels of SOD.

Making Sure Your Levels of SOD are High Enough!

Ever wonder why some people eat well and do everything right but still age quickly, while other people drink, smoke and eat junk food and live to be 90? This might explain it:

Levels of SOD vary by as much as 50% depending on the subject.6

Perhaps that’s why some people age quickly and why others live to a ripe old age without any problems.

SOD is such a critical measure of longevity, it seems to outweigh other risk factors like diet and exercise … even smoking.

For me, this data stinks. It tells em that if I am one of the people who doesn’t produce enough SOD, I can live the good healthy life- which I do – and still die young. And if I don’t buy their supplement I am dicing with my DNA’s future. 

And then….I remembered…

It was a sentence in a study carried out in Japan that i had read many years ago.

“The superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity of reduced (That’s alkaline ionized water!) water is stable at 4 degrees C for over a month and was not lost even after neutralization, repeated freezing and melting, deflation with sonication, vigorous mixing, boiling, repeated filtration, or closed autoclaving..”

Dr Shirahata and his team of research scientist had discovered that our water acted just like SOD!10
I searched a little more.. and found a Korean study showing how the water protected DNA, RNA and Protein!11 This study was carried out not on rats, but humans.
 And just below that, I found a study that said the water enhanced the effect of other secondary antioxidants!12

Then I remembered something more.

Some years ago I was at an exhibition in Sydney, displaying our water ionizers. I’d been talking non-stop for three days when a friend dropped into our stall and said “Hey, there’s a guy a few aisles away that tests your antioxidant ability.” I was tired. I’d been on the go non-stop for a week, setting up and then talking.

But… what did I have to lose? Things had slowed up at my exhibit – so I followed my friend to the stall. It was a man with a machine and a computer. You sat down, he put a sensor on the inside of your wrist, and it measured your level of Antioxidant protection. He was, by the way, also selling antioxidant supplements to all the failed test-ees. He passed the probe over my wrist, looked at the computer and frowned. “Something wrong?” I asked. “What have you been taking?” he asked. “Taking? You mean antioxidants? Nothing. Why?” I replied.

“Why?” He answered.”Because this machine measures up to 30. If you’re ’30′ you have good antioxidant protection.
And you have 45. Come on, tell me. What are you on?”

Well the only thing I was ‘one’ was water. Alkaline Ionized water. the same water I’ve been drinking for almost twelve healthy years.

1. Vina, J. et al, “Why females live longer than males? Importance of the upregulation of longevity-associated genes by oestrogenic compounds,” FEBS Letters; 579(12): 2541-2545
2. Li, et al, “Dismutase,” Nature Genetics 1995; 11:376-381
3. “Dietary free superoxide dismutase does not affect tissue levels,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1983; 37:5-7 
4. Colman, J., “Life Span-Increasing Effects of Super Oxide Dismutase (SOD),” LEM Winter 2005/2006
5. Muth, C.M., Glenz, Y., Klaus, M., et al, “Influence of an orally effective SOD on hyperbaric oxygen-related cell damage,” Free Radic. Res. Sept. 2004; 38(9):927-32
6. Ueda, K., et al, “Levels of SOD in Japanese people,” Acta. Med. Okayama Dec. 1978;(6):393-7
7. Vouldoukis, I., et al, “Supplementation with gliadin-combined plant superoxide dismutase extract promotes antioxidant defenses and protects against oxidative stress,” Phytother. Res. Dec. 2004; 18(12):957-62
8. Weise, Elizabeth, “Wine ingredient resveratrol as anti-aging pill,” USA TODAY Nov 29, 2006 
9. Rahman, I., Biswas, S.K., Kirkham, P.A., “Regulation of inflammation and redox signaling by dietary polyphenols,” Biochem. Pharmacol. Nov. 30, 2006;72(11):1439-52

10>Electrolyzed-reduced water scavenges active oxygen species and protects DNA from oxidative damage.

Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1997 May 8;234(1):269-74. 

Shirahata S, Kabayama S, Nakano M, Miura T, Kusumoto K, Gotoh M, Hayashi H, Otsubo K, Morisawa S, Katakura Y. 

Institute of Cellular Regulation Technology, Graduate School of Genetic Resources Technology, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan. sirahata@grt.kyushu-u.ac.jp 

Active oxygen species or free radicals are considered to cause extensive oxidative damage to biological macromolecules, which brings about a variety of diseases as well as aging. The ideal scavenger for active oxygen should be ‘active hydrogen’. ‘Active hydrogen’ can be produced in reduced water near the cathode during electrolysis of water. Reduced water exhibits high pH, low dissolved oxygen (DO), extremely high dissolved molecular hydrogen (DH), and extremely negative redox potential (RP) values. Strongly electrolyzed-reduced water, as well as ascorbic acid, (+)-catechin and tannic acid, completely scavenged O.-2 produced by the hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase (HX-XOD) system in sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.0). The superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity of reduced water is stable at 4 degrees C for over a month and was not lost even after neutralization, repeated freezing and melting, deflation with sonication, vigorous mixing, boiling, repeated filtration, or closed autoclaving, but was lost by opened autoclaving or by closed autoclaving in the presence of tungsten trioxide which efficiently adsorbs active atomic hydrogen. Water bubbled with hydrogen gas exhibited low DO, extremely high DH and extremely low RP values, as does reduced water, but it has no SOD-like activity. These results suggest that the SOD-like activity of reduced water is not due to the dissolved molecular hydrogen but due to the dissolved atomic hydrogen (active hydrogen). Although SOD accumulated H2O2 when added to the HX-XOD system, reduced water decreased the amount of H2O2 produced by XOD. Reduced water, as well as catalase and ascorbic acid, could directly scavenge H2O2. Reduced water suppresses single-strand breakage of DNA b active oxygen species produced by the Cu(II)-catalyzed oxidation of ascorbic acid in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting that reduced water can scavenge not only O2.- and H2O2, but also 1O2 and .OH. PMID: 9169001 

11. Electrolyzed-reduced water protects against oxidative damage to DNA, RNA, and protein.

Appl Biochem Biotechnol. 2006 Nov;135(2):133-44. 

Lee MY, Kim YK, Ryoo KK, Lee YB, Park EJ. Department of Genetic Engineering, Soonchunhyang University, Asan, Chungnam 336-600, Korea. 

The generation of reactive oxygen species is thought to cause extensive oxidative damage to various biomolecules such as DNA, RNA, and protein. In this study, the preventive, suppressive, and protective effects of in vitro supplementation with electrolyzed-reduced water on H2O2-induced DNA damage in human lymphocytes were examined using a comet assay. Pre-treatment, co-treatment, and post-treatment with electrolyzed-reduced water enhanced human lymphocyte resistance to the DNA strand breaks induced by H2O2 in vitro. Moreover, electrolyzed-reduced water was much more effective than diethylpyrocarbonate-treated water in preventing total RNA degradation at 4 and 25 degrees C. In addition, electrolyzed-reduced water completely prevented the oxidative cleavage of horseradish peroxidase, as determined using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. Enhancement of the antioxidant activity of ascorbic acid dissolved in electrolyzed-reduced water was about threefold that of ascorbic acid dissolved in nonelectrolyzed deionized water, as measured by a xanthine-xanthine oxidase superoxide scavenging assay system, suggesting an inhibitory effect of electrolyzedreduced water on the oxidation of ascorbic acid. PMID: 17159237 

12. Biophys Chem. 2004 Jan 1;107(1):71-82.

The mechanism of the enhanced antioxidant effects against superoxide anion radicals of reduced water produced by electrolysis.

Hanaoka K, Sun D, Lawrence R, Kamitani Y, Fernandes G. 

Bio-REDOX Laboratory Inc. 1187-4, Oaza-Ueda, Ueda-shi, Nagano-ken 386-0001, Japan. hanak@rapid.ocn.ne.jp 

We reported that reduced water produced by electrolysis enhanced the antioxidant effects of proton donors such as ascorbic acid (AsA) in a previous paper. We also demonstrated that reduced water produced by electrolysis of 2 mM NaCl solutions did not show antioxidant effects by itself. We reasoned that the enhancement of antioxidant effects may be due to the increase of the ionic product of water as solvent. The ionic product of water (pKw) was estimated by measurements of pH and by a neutralization titration method. As an indicator of oxidative damage, Reactive Oxygen Species- (ROS) mediated DNA strand breaks were measured by the conversion of supercoiled phiX-174 RF I double-strand DNA to open and linear forms. Reduced water had a tendency to suppress single-strand breakage of DNA induced by reactive oxygen species produced by H2O2/Cu (II) and HQ/Cu (II) systems. The enhancement of superoxide anion radical dismutation activity can be explained by changes in the ionic product of water in the reduced water. PMID: 14871602 [PubMed]

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The Cheapest Antioxidant for your $$$

January 8, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Another great little video from nutrition.org demonstrates that the cheapest (by far) antioxidant source in foods is red cabbage. Of course I have to wonder that ionized antioxidant water would be cheaper.. far cheaper.

Filed Under: Antioxidants Tagged With: ,