June Russell's Health Facts

Oxidation is the process of oxygen combining with other molecules. This process is used to produce Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) which provides energy for body processes. Although oxidation is one of the most fundamental and necessary biochemical reactions, not all oxidation is a good thing. When a long and elaborate molecule is broken apart by oxidation, it can release a new molecule called a free radical. Free radicals can then oxidize other molecules in a kind of chain reaction, wreaking havoc with the body. The damage this does to cells and cell walls can contribute to a long list of diseases including cancer and heart disease. Antioxidants have been shown to offset the damage that free radicals can cause.
{“What is oxidation?” Nutrition and Healing e-mail, Jonathan Wright, MD and Amanda Ross, Jan. 1, 2004}  Editor's comment: The use of alcoholic beverages increases free radicals.

When free radicals are produced in excess, they can either initiate or promote many diseases. Free radicals are also a significant factor in aging and the degeneration of the physiology that accompanies it. Free radicals perform crucial functions in the body, from fighting infection to maintaining immunity and mental alertness, but if these free radicals are produced in excessive amounts, they wreak havoc on healthy cells and cause excessive damage. They also oxidize lipids throughout the body, causing them to become rancid and toxic. Excessive production of free radicals is caused by many factors, alcohol use being one of them. As we grow older, the body’s ability to generate antioxidants declines and with our industrialized, high stress world, and free radicals are generated at such a fast pace that food alone cannot produce all needed nutrients.
{“Holistic protection,” for prevention, better health and enlightenment,” Fall 2003, www.mapi.com}

The consumption of alcohol results in the formation of two very toxic compounds, acetaldehyde and malondialdehyde, which generate massive free-radical damage to cells throughout the body. The free radical damage generated by these alcohol metabolites creates an effect in the body similar to that caused by radiation poisoning.
{“Alcohol-induced hangover: Prevention,” LifeExtension, lef.org, Feb. 2004}

Alcohol generates free radicals, which are unstable oxygen molecules that can cause damage to blood vessel tissues, dampening any of the benefits that red wine’s antioxidants may offer. Alcohol hastens the breakdown of the antioxidants in the blood, speeding its elimination from the body.
{CNN.com, July 2000}

To stay healthy, eat the right foods, avoid smoking and alcohol, get plenty of sleep and take antioxidants and beta-carotene. The medical literature has linked ‘free radicals’ to about everything that is bad for us.
{Dr. Stuart Zeman, The Weekend Warrior, sportsdrz.com, Oct. 2001}

The Journal of Clinical Investigation shows there is direct evidence that alcohol can unleash destructive forces inside the body. Social drinking can sharply increase the amount of corrosive oxygen compounds, called free radicals, that corrupt DNA and inflict other damage on cells.
{“Happy hour corrodes the body,” academicpress.com, the Science Newsroom, Oct. 2001}

Immune cells can be damaged by unstable oxygen molecules in the body called free radicals, which may be generated in high numbers by alcohol.
{from the book: The Complete Guide to Natural Healing, “Immune Deficiency”}

Reduced hearing capacity or deteriorating hearing may be due to free radical damage.
{"Can age-related hearing loss be reversed?" Member's Alert, Health Sciences Institute, Nov. 2001}  Editor's comment: Alcohol use is one of the causes of excess free radicals.

According to the waste accumulation theory, your cells produce more waste than they are capable of eliminating, and as wastes build up, toxins accumulate and eventually kill the cell. Yet, the free radical theory, developed in 1954, offers the most hope for disease prevention. Mostly it is the toxins from the environment, not from within our own bodies, that results in oxidative damage. New research indicates that the real culprits of high cholesterol levels, once thought to be the major cause of heart disease, are free radicals.
{"How We Age," healthwell.com - July 2001} Editor's comment: Alcohol is a toxin that, when it is ingested, is one of the causes of excess free radicals.

The lead researcher of the University of Florida College of Nursing, James Jessup, PhD, RN, told the University of Florida News that when we reach our 40's, most people begin to naturally produce fewer amounts of antioxidants, but larger amounts of free radicals.
{“Taking history,” Health Sciences Institute, e-mail, Sep. 2003}

A recent published by the University of Pennsylvania in September issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation, showed that alcohol actually raises the level of free radicals, which puts oxidant stress on organs such as the heart and liver, and causes them to deteriorate. When the body’s cells are exposed to more free radicals than it can easily handle, it is in a condition called ‘oxidant stress.’
{“Toast to your health,” Hong Kong Medical Journal, hkam.org, Aug. 2000}