The Culprit of Disease: Harmful Free Radicals
What are harmful free radicals?
Free radicals refer to highly reactive molecules that contain literally a “free” (unpaired) electron. This unpaired electron makes free radicals damage other molecules. “Reactive oxygen species” is a term used for free radicals that have only oxygen and hydrogen elements. “Oxidative stress” is a term used when free radicals present excessively and indiscriminate oxidation elicits harmful effects. More free radical present, higher oxidative stress there is. As you all know, oxygen is an essential molecule to humans when utilizing food to create energy. However, some of the oxygen that we breathe in can be transformed to free radicals during cellular respiration – a process of producing energy using food and oxygen. This is due to many different factors including smoking, pollution, UV rays, intense exercise or any stress. Not all free radicals are bad for our body. Some free radicals are essential for our physiological process and immune defence at low concentrations. Our body also has defence mechanism against certain free radicals, but not all. Hydroxyl radical is a harmful radical to our body that we cannot detoxify, and hence, it causes trouble.
The connection between harmful free radicals and disease
All free radicals are not harmful to our bodies. For example, Superoxide (O·2-) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) play important physiological roles at low concentrations as signalling and regulatory molecules. H2O2 is converted into hypochlorous acid which defends against bacterial invasion. However, excess O·2- and H2O2 increase production of hydroxyl radicals (·OH). ·OH is harmful as it is the strongest of the oxidant species and reacts indiscriminately with nucleic acids, lipids and proteins causing damages. Factors such as the environmental pollution, chemical substances, UV rays, poor circulation, smoking, stress, etc., can contribute to production of ·OH causing more harms to the cells in our body. These harmful free radicals promote aging and account for 90% of diseases to humans.
- The major cause for cancer is due to damages to DNA by harmful free radicals. Our body has mechanisms to correct DNA damages but if damaged more than that can be fixed, the damage will accumulate and the cell will become cancerous. This is the leading cause of cancer in adults
- Harmful free radicals oxidize the fatty LDL dissolved in our blood, which is the leading cause of arteriosclerosis. Arteriosclerosis is the main cause of cardiovascular diseases such as coronary vascular disease causing heart attack, aneurysm, stroke and peripheral vascular disease causing claudication. It also causes high blood pressure, known as silent killer.
- Increasing evidence suggests that harmful free radicals may contribute to developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM, commonly known as adult diabetes) by increasing insulin resistance and impairing insulin secretion when T2DM is severe. Harmful free radical plays a major role in autoimmune reaction to beta-cells in pancreas so that it cannot produce any insulin causing type 1 diabetes mellitus.
- It is also well known that harmful free radicals play a major role in development of complications of both types of diabetes mellitus such as cardiovascular disease causing heart attack, cerebrovascular disease causing stroke, diabetic nephropathy (kidney damage), retinopathy (eye damage), peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage), vascular disease in legs, and autonomic nerve dysfunction (causing gastroparesis and postural lightheadedness)
- Harmful free radicals are known to play an important role causing many skin diseases and skin troubles of unknown aetiology such as atopic/ psoriatic dermatitis
- It is widely known that harmful free radicals mediate degenerative neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Lou Gehrig’s, etc.
- Furthermore, harmful free radicals contribute to pathogenesis (disease process) of many other various diseases such as hepatitis, cirrhosis, gastritis, enteritis, arthritic inflammatory diseases, freckles, moles, wrinkles, cataracts, dementia, asthma, rheumatism, and various autoimmune diseases.
Factors that increase harmful free radicals
In the normal breathing process, about 95% of the oxygen is used to make energy and about 4-5% produces harmful free radicals through various ways. Excess free radicals are produced, such as by *Overeating junk foods (food with preservatives) / *Anger, stress, overworking, insomnia, excessive drinking, smoking / *Pollution and UV exposure / *Administration of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, radiation exposure / * infections and inflammation / *Intense exercise
The war against harmful free radicals
Antioxidant Enzyme
Our body has several defence mechanisms against free radicals. We have several different enzymes that convert certain free radicals to less reactive status. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) converts superoxide (O·2-) into hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which is detoxified into water (H2O) by enzymes called glutathione peroxidase or catalase. However, there is no known detoxification system for hydroxyl radicals (·OH) which is produced from excess O·2- and H2O2 due to over production and/or reduced activities of above enzymes. ·OH, as known as harmful free radical, is the strongest of the oxidant species and reacts indiscriminately with nucleic acids, lipids and proteins. Therefore, scavenging ·OH is a critical antioxidant process.
The types and limits of other Antioxidants
There are antioxidants produced in our body such as melatonin, glutathione and the enzymes mentioned above. We can also take the dietary antioxidant such as vitamin A/C/E and CoQ 10. Selenium and zinc do not have antioxidant properties but referred to as antioxidant as they are required for the activity of some antioxidant enzymes. They are further classified into water-soluble and lipid-soluble depending on their chemical properties. This contributes to their distribution in our body. Many studies do not show antioxidant dietary supplements improve health or prevent diseases in clinical trials in terms of mortality rate, cancer risk or risk of the cardiovascular disease. This may be due to many limitations that these dietary antioxidants have. First of all, they are not selective to detoxify harmful free radical. They may neutralize all free radicals that are required for our physiological process such as superoxide (O·2-) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).Some studies show that excessive intake of dietary antioxidants causes harm, presumably due to above reason.
These dietary free radicals are also bulky and not be able to freely diffuse into our body. Water-soluble antioxidants require transporter enzymes to cross cell membrane. Only limited amount can present in cell, and it would not be able to cross mitochondria membrane where most of free radicals are coming from. Lipid-soluble antioxidants can only travel in blood throughout our body if they are bound to protein such as albumin. They usually sit in cell membrane and do not go into inside of cell.
Hydrogen water SELECTIVELY REMOVES only harmful free radicals
Hydrogen’s excellent ability to remove harmful free radicals
- Hydrogen molecule (H2) is the smallest antioxidant. In contrast to hydrogen, which only has a molecular weight of 2, vitamins are too large to spread easily through cells (vitamin C at 176, vitamin E at 431, and coenzyme Q10 at 873). Because H2 is very small, it passes through the cell membrane freely, and H2 reaches the brain due to its easy-to-pass characteristic, where most of other antioxidants cannot enter to remove harmful free radicals.
- Unlike other antioxidants, hydrogen reacts only with the harmful free radicals, hydroxyl radicals (▪OH). Other antioxidants cannot distinguish between the other free radicals necessary for the body and reacts with them all.
- Additionally, H2 reacts with ▪OH which becomes water which is harmless. When other antioxidants react with ▪OH, they become intermediate free radicals which need to be further detoxified by other reactions. This takes time and energy; therefore, they are not as effective
The three miracle fountains – Hydrogen spring water
It is widely known that the Lourdes Spring in France, the Nordenau Spring in Germany, and the waters of Tlacote, Mexico have miracle waters that heal peoples’ illnesses. However, those miracles occur because the waters contain large amounts of naturally produced hydrogen. Because of the efficacy of the hydrogen in removing harmful free radicals that treat various diseases, they are called “miracle waters.”
Hydrogen Water Machine
If a spring naturally producing hydrogen is called a hydrogen water source, a machine that artificially creates hydrogen molecules (H2) through electricity (electrolysis) is called a hydrogen water machine. A number of hydrogen water machines have already been introduced to the market, but there are many differences in performance.
Hydrogen water only removes harmful free radicals
Features of Hydrogen:
- Hydrogen molecule (H2) is the smallest molecule that can be rapidly diffused throughout our body. Unlikely other antioxidant, H2 can be easily infused into lipid and aqueous solutions, penetrating into cell reaching the nucleus and mitochondria. It provides protection of nuclear DNA and mitochondria.
- It selectively reacts to harmful free radicals - hydroxyl radical (▪OH) not affecting other free radicals that pose physiological functions. Hydroxyl radical becomes harmless water when react with H2.
- It can pass through the blood-brain barrier to eliminate free radicals in the central nervous system.
When consumed as hydrogen water, it is absorbed within 0.5 ~ 2 hours into the body, to supply hydrogen to cells all over the body within 1~3 hours, to eliminate free radicals from the cells.
Effects of free radicals on cells
Free radicals accelerate aging!
- Hydroxyl radicals attack cellular structures such as DNA, lipids, proteins and plays major roles in disease progress over 70 different fatal diseases including cancer, mutation, blood vessel disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, heard disease, stroke, diabetes, etc.
- Free radicals are molecules that contain unpaired electron. Due to its instability, it is highly reactive.
- Among free radicals, our body does not have a defense mechanism against hydroxyl radical which is the major cause of destruction of biomolecules by direct reaction or triggering the chain reaction.
How much fruits and vegetables can you consume
in one day?
Drinking 1.5 L of “Hydrogen Water,” it will have the same antioxidant effects of consuming the fruits and vegetables below. (Every Day)
- The comparison of values was made by measuring beta carotene content in fruits and vegetables.
- This is based on research data by Professor Hatana Gyazuki, Shitama University, Japan – hydrogen water containing 500 ppb.
The hydrogen concentration in H2Mirakle Hydrogen water is maximum of 1200 ppb.
How to generate hydrogen water
1) After seperating H+ and O2 at the anode side, H+ will be diffused into the cathode side as it has a membrane permeable to only H+.
2) Electrons are supplied to H+ by the cathode, and H2 gas is formed.
3) Water cluster will be mainly hexagonal or pentagonal structure, and H2 molecule will be weekly attached to the water cluster.
4) The other H2 gas will form bubbles to go upward.
5) Dissolved hydrogen lasting time : 80~90% after 12 hrs at 15℃, 60~80% after 24 hrs, complete dissipation after 72 hrs.
WITH THE advanced technology OF HYDROGEN WATER, YOU CAN ENJOY THE “WATER OF MIRACLES” RIGHT AT HOME!
It improves oxidative stress by reducing hydroxyl radicals. As a result, followings have been shown:
1. It improves ischemia/reperfusion injury in stroke or heart attack.
2. It suppresses the increase in the oxidative stress in various neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Chronic oxidative stress is accepted as one of the causes of neurodegeneration.
3. It improves blood glucose controls and complications in diabetic population.
4. Beneficial roles in the prevention of potential metabolic syndrome were shown in a clinical study.
5. The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis were significantly improved with hydrogen water. In addition, various dermatological autoimmune diseases were improved with hydrogen water including atopic/psoriatic dermatitis which free radicals play key roles in inflammation process.
