Battling free radicals

By TEH ENG HOCK
Eating right is one way to slow down ageing.

EVERY now and then, I browse the aisles of the local pharmacy and look at the dozens of moisturisers and creams. Most products promise to slow down the effects of ageing.

It is not like I am all wrinkly and dried up. I am only in my mid-twenties. Perhaps, I just want to preserve my youthfulness, instead of looking for a product to reverse the effects of ageing when I am 60.

Why such vanity, you might ask?
Most of us live in an urban environment and, coupled with our fast-paced lifestyles, we tend to age faster.
One key contributor to ageing is free radicals. Today we are surrounded by even more free radicals than before.
Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that can damage body tissue. They are by-products of normal chemical reactions which occur in cells.

Our surroundings have free radicals from gases emitted by factories and vehicles. Smoke from a single cigarette produces 10 quadrillion free radicals.

“We breathe them (free radicals) in, and they are very toxic and damage DNA. We’re ageing faster because our DNA gets chopped up,” explains Dr Joseph Chang, executive vice-president and chief scientific officer of Pharmanex, the pharmaceutical division of Nu Skin Enterprises.

DNA carries genetic information that cells need to replicate and repair themselves, thus the failure to repair DNA would accelerate ageing.

But surely the human body can ward off these attacks and recover?
“Yes, the body is resilient and can regenerate DNA. But after too many hits, our body may not recover, and that is why we age,” says Dr Chang, who is based in Pharmanex’s headquarters in Utah, United States.

The body not only ages externally, but internally as well.

“When people talk about ageing, they are usually thinking about the cosmetic effects. They think of wrinkles and fine lines.

“The skin consists of collagen and elastin. The sun reacts with the oxygen in the air and produces oxygen free radicals, which destroy the collagen in the skin,” he says.

So what do I do to look 25 forever?

“All of us know how to slow down ageing. It is simple – lead a healthy lifestyle, do not drink or smoke, and get enough sleep,” Dr Chang adds.
Of course, all these are easier said than done. Even if you are a non-smoker, you might be surrounded by friends who smoke. (And free radicals from cigarette smoke and UV rays can trigger cataract!)

Short of living in a protective bubble, we cannot really avoid free radicals, but we can neutralise them b

y taking plenty of antioxidants. These include vitamins A, C and E, as well as minerals from fruits and vegetables.
And palm oil, too, as pointed out by Tan Sri Dr Augustine Ong, founding president of the Malaysian Invention and Design Society, and currently chairman of the Society for Free Radical Research in Asean.

“Palm oil is a rich source of carotenoids, which is a type of antioxidant.

Carotenoids help to counteract photo-oxidation (caused by free radicals),” says Dr Ong.

“Tocotrienols form vitamin E, and palm oil is one of the richest sources of vitamin E.”

According to Dr Ong, palm oil is chemically stable and does not oxidise as easily to form free radicals, which makes it ideal for cooking.

It's all about eating right and living healthily. And for that extra boost, there are always supplements you can get from your pharmacist.

The long search for the elixir of youth has yet to bear fruit. Instead of pharmacies, I think I’ll now browse through furniture stores, and look for mirrors which make me look younger.

source: The Star; Tuesday July 24, 2007