Oxidation Contributes to Aging
The developers and distributers of Protandim state that aging is
caused by the body's oxidation, or oxidative stress. According
to the makers of Protandim, scientific studies have found that
oxidation is not only a cause of aging, but also a precursor
to many major diseases. In order to reverse the affects of oxidative
stress, it has been reported that about three billion dollars
is being spent in the United States each year on antioxidants.
Antioxidants include such familiar vitamins as vitamin A, C,
and E and Coenzyme Q-10, all of which have been used to fight
oxidation and its affects on the body. But, according to the
maker of Protandim, studies have shown that taking these synthetic
antioxidants results in no measurable difference in oxidative
stress. In contrast, the makers of Protandim claim that it has
been demonstrated to decrease oxidation by as much as 60% in
humans in just the first 30 days of intake. This percentage is
expected to increase even further after prolonged supplementation.
Protandim Triggers the Antioxidant Superoxide Dismutase
The makers of Protandim have described Protandim not as an antioxidant,
but have made claims that the formula in Protandim is made to
trigger the body into producing more of the natural antioxidant
enzymes it already produces. One of the body’s main antioxidants
that it can naturally produce is Superoxide Dismutase (SOD).
Levels of SOD in the body, according to Lifeline Theraputics,
makers of Protandim, have previously been shown to be directly
connected to aging in 14 different species, humans being one
of them. Lifeline Theraputics explains that those species, in
which Superoxide Dismutase is the highest, tend to live the longest,
thus increased amounts of SOD means an increase in lifespan.
According to separate studies of SOD conducted by John Tower,
a molecular biologist at the University of Southern California,
and by molecular biologist John Phillips of the University of
Guelph in Ontario, the extended time of life was youth. Old age
was postponed.
Lifeline Theraputics believes that Protandim offers
a better approach to fighting the oxidation process and its aging
effects. That approach
is to upregulate the body's natural family of antioxidant enzymes:
Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT) and Glutathione Peroxidase
(GPX). Lifeline Theraputics claims, “Protandim allows these
enzymes to be produced where they are most needed - within the
cells where oxidative stress actually occurs. This is in stark
contrast to traditional antioxidant supplements, which have to
pass significant digestive and absorption barriers and simply can't
be consumed in the quantities needed to protect the body against
the damage caused by oxidative stress. Not hampered by quantity,
digestive and absorption constraints, Protandim acts as a catalyst
to cause the body to increase the production of its own antioxidant
defense system.”
