Wolfberry Antioxidants
The body has a defence system to combat free radical damage - Antioxidants! Antioxidants are molecules that can safely interact with free radicals and terminate the destructive chain reaction before vital cells are damaged.
The big players in the world of antioxidants include:
Essential Nutrients (Vitamins and Minerals) as Found in the Wolfberry
Essential nutrients are those needed for health that your body can't make on its own so they must be provided by the diet. Vitamin E, vitamin C and beta-carotene (which turns into vitamin A) are vitamins that neutralize free radicals. Vitamin E targets the bad guys in the fatty tissues of the body. Vitamin C goes after the free radicals in the watery areas of the body through the blood stream. Beta-carotene leads to the production of vitamin A. Vitamin A is a staunch cell protector of the cell's nucleus, where the DNA is found. Certain minerals--namely, copper, selenium, and zinc--are often referred to as antioxidants. Technically, that's a misnomer because they lack the ability to neutralize free radicals. They do, however, play key roles in the body's production of antioxidant enzymes.
The Wolfberry and Phytochemicals
Phytochemicals, which number in the thousands, are nonnutritive plant chemicals that contain protective, disease preventing compounds. Though they can act as antioxidants, they have a myriad other ways in which they further reduce oxidative stress. For instance, they can block the transformation of precursor molecules into free radicals and carcinogens. And they can enhance the repair of DNA by increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione.
Enzymes and the Wolfberry
Enzymes are protein-based catalysts. They speed up chemical reactions in the body. A good example of enzymes at work is when you lightly prick yourself and start to bleed. You will notice the injury will stop bleeding rather quickly in most cases. It's the fast working enzymes that help coagulate your blood quickly. With the help of amino acids, the human body can manufacture its own antioxidant enzymes. These homemade compounds work jointly with other antioxidants in the war against free radicals.