Powerful Antioxidant Extends Life
Some say it's the most powerful antioxidant our body creates. It might explain why some people live longer than others due to the measured levels in our bodies. In fact, we have an advantage over men...
...Spanish researchers found that women express genes triggering production of this super enzyme.[1] It could extend our life by maintaining the health of body cells. Although, levels of this super enzyme can differ by as much as 50%.
Seeing that some people age quickly and others live healthily, relatively problem-free, lives, this powerful antioxidant has been tested to extend life. Scientists made fruit flies live twice as long.
It is believed high levels of this enzyme repairs cells. Plus, it reduces cell damage caused by a common free radical called superoxide. This by-product of oxygen metabolism causes many types of cell damage if not regulated. High levels of superoxide create oxidative stress. When there is an imbalance between the production of free radicals and your body’s ability to neutralise them, there are some ill effects. A number of diseases including atherosclerosis, stroke, and arthritis are linked to oxidative stress. As well as a decreased lifespan.
For this reason, it is beneficial to have high levels of the Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) enzyme. SOD is a catalyst causing the superoxide to oxidise and reduce to oxygen and hydrogen peroxide. Therefore, it provides an important antioxidant defence for your body. It is claimed to be...
...3,500 times more powerful than Vitamin C
Due to the power of Superoxide Dismutase, it is used as a medical treatment. There are many conditions it can be used for. Medics can treat pain and swelling caused by osteoarthritis, sports injuries, and rheumatoid arthritis with SOD. Plus, kidney conditions, gout, cancer, and for improving tolerance to radiation therapy. Also, to minimise heart damage caused by heart attacks.
As you can see, there are many uses for SOD. However, as a treatment, it needs to be administered by injection. It's because SOD is created in our bodies and taking it as a pill simply does not get into us... not enough anyway. And yet, there are many attempting to provide ways of getting more SOD into us in a number of ways rather than making a trip to the Doctor for a jab.
At present, you can apply SOD as a cream or mist because it is thought you can replace some of this antioxidant through the skin. The beauty industry is beginning to jump on this compound and selling it as part of an anti-ageing cream.
Actually, the most common way to supplement with Superoxide Dismutase is a pill. Manufacturers can obtain the compound from marine phytoplankton, cow's liver, horseradish, cantaloupe, and bacteria to make a supplement. Despite this, there's little evidence you can get beneficial effects this way. It's due to the fact SOD is broken down in your guts into its building blocks of amino acids and then absorbed by your intestines.
As a consequence, some smart people have been trialling different ways of getting SOD past our stomachs still intact. This lead to a melon-sourced SOD bound to a wheat biopolymer, known as gliadin, being tested on humans with promising results. Supplementing with SOD-gliadin has shown increased SOD activity and a reduction of C-reactive proteins, a marker of oxidative stress. As well as this, another study "showed that the supplemented group had significantly lower levels of DNA breaks and a lower concentration of plasma markers of oxidative stress".[2,3]
So, by protecting the SOD enzyme it is possible to get it inside you via a supplement. Although, experts warn that we need more testing before we can recommend SOD-gliadin as an effective supplement.Obscure
Obscure Ways to Increase SOD Naturally
On the other hand, there are indirect ways you can increase SOD without actually taking it...
...In gold standard controlled studies, Goji berry juice has been shown to increase SOD levels by 8.4%.[4] And black chokeberry extract increased blood SOD levels by around 28% in patients with metabolic syndrome.[5] Plus, a turmeric and black pepper combo considerably improve serum SOD activity.[6]
Given these results, it is possible to raise your superoxide dismutase levels with food. Simply adding these ingredients to your diet could boost your antioxidant ability. In fact, sesamin, a lignan from sesame seeds, influences this enzyme activity three times over. And it happens with a very small concentration.[10]
But it doesn't stop there. An increase in SOD activity has been seen with 300mg CoQ10 supplementation for one month. With that, the participants of the study were able to reduce their blood pressure.[7] And when members of another study took 100-200mcg/mL of Pine Bark Extract, the researchers noted an increase in SOD.[8] Also, a traditional Ayurveda mineral mixture called Shilajit increased SOD levels.[9]
On the whole, nutrition is directly related to your health and lifespan. You can boost antioxidant levels by taking them or with other nutrients that cause your body to create and activate them. With a nutrient dense diet, you could end up living a long healthy lifestyle.