Technical Information on Free Radical Damage
(Yes, there is a 5 minute home antioxidant test!)
WHAT
ARE FREE RADICALS?
 Free radicals play an important role, both in health and
disease. A free radical is formed when a stable molecule either loses or gains an electron.
Once a free radical is formed it becomes reactive and begins to take part in both healthy and harmful
bio-chemical reactions in the body. When the numbers of Free Radicals are under control they
contribute to healthy body function. However, when Free Radical activity is not properly controlled they
have been implicated in countless human disease processes and advanced aging. Uncontrolled Free Radicals
attack and damage healthy cells and DNA. It is vital to our health that our bodies are equipped to
control the production of excessive Free Radicals. There are two active ways that every person can help
bring Free Radicals under control: 1) Healthy lifestyle choices, and 2) Proper nutrition. The
OxiScore™ test is a useful guide to the success of these two areas of
prevention.
WHAT CAUSES A FREE RADICAL?
Modern
industrial environments, lifestyles and poor nutrition contribute heavily to Free Radical production.
When the body is low on antioxidants Free Radicals
increase. Additionally, unprotected exposure to the sun produces Free Radicals in the skin, mental and emotional stress are key causes of Free Radicals, as is smoking, the taking of drugs of any kind (including
alcohol), cooked oils or fats, exposure to petrochemicals, heavy
metals, and even excess adrenaline or insulin all take
part in Free Radical production in our bodies.
WHAT CAN STOP A FREE RADICAL?
(ANTIOXIDANTS)
A free radical is stopped when the electron
difference (gaining or losing an electron) is corrected. Molecules that can correct the electron
difference are called Antioxidants. The process of damage by Free
Radicals is called oxidation (think rust on metal or the
browning of a cut apple), and the process that prevents it is anti-oxidation, and the molecules which do the prevention are called Antioxidants. Antioxidants are found in dark colored vegetables and fruit and in dietary
supplements. The life of a free radical has three stages: the initiation stage, propagation stage, and finally
the termination stage. Free radicals are terminated or neutralized by nutrients (antioxidants), enzymatic
mechanisms, or by recombining with each other.
WHAT DOES OXISCORE™ TELL
ME?
When Free Radicals attack a cell they cause a particular part of the cell
membrane to break off. This damaged cell wall particle is called Malondialdehyde (or MDA for short). MDA is collected by the blood, filtered
through the kidneys and deposited in the bladder to be removed from the body. Therefore, one can
gauge the level of Free Radical damage they are experiencing in their bodies by measuring the amount of
MDA in their urine! The higher the amount of MDA in the urine, the greater the Free Radical damage
the body is experiencing. The
technological breakthrough, OxiScore™ test, is specially formulated to react in the presence of MDA and change color based
upon the amount of MDA present in the urine. Therefore OxiScore checks the actual level of damage caused by Free Radicals in the body.
A
2001
article in the journal Biomedical
Research said that "MDA in
urine gives a 'global' index of the body's oxidative stress status." OxiScore there gives one a
'global index' of the state of their nutritional health. In studies at a major university, one
researcher determined that this new urine test is 50 times more sensitive than blood/plasma aldehyde
testing for understanding the bodies 'global index' of oxidative stress and Free Radical
damage.
 TEST
VALIDATIONS
The
test was scientifically
validated by means of the Conti
Flourometric assay in the laboratory. This is a highly sensitive test that can measure minute quantities of MDA
present in body fluids. The results of the Conti Flourometric assay were compared to the colorimetric
readings of the OxiScore test. The results were presented at a 2001
scientific gathering.
COMPARISON WITH BLOOD
TEST
The
most relevant measure for malondialdehyde is in the urine. Blood contains only the amount of MDA
circulating in the body at a particular point in time. The amount of MDA in the urine is an end point
product. Further, a urine test requires no needles. The testing method used in
the OXISCORE Test was not converted from a blood test. It is a urine MDA test that was modified
from a complex laboratory procedure into a simple qualitative test.
DOES OXISCORE TELL ME MY LEVEL OF
ANTIOXIDANTS?
OxiScore does not tell you how much antioxidants
are in your system. It tells you something far superior; OxiScore reveals whether those antioxidants are
being effective at stopping Free Radical damage or not. The level of antioxidants in your system can be
an abstract reading. Different people will need different amounts of antioxidants depending upon their
lifestyles and genetic make ups. One of the easiest and most effective ways to know if your antioxidants
are effective at stopping Free Radicals, regardless of the amount in the body, is by measuring urinary
MDA.
HOW SPECIFIC ARE THE READINGS?
 OxiScore is
not a quantitative test, nor is it a diagnostic test for any particular disease
condition. OxiScore provides a useful lifestyle and nutritional guide in the form of a color chart that is
useful in determining the amount of oxidative activity in the body. It is a qualitative test and is
best used when divided into two levels of interpretation-high or low. The goal with the OxiScore
test should be to have a reading in the 0, 1 or 2 reading areas (considered low). This is not easily
achieved, and may require significant lifestyle and dietary changes to achieve the goal. A quality
antioxidant nutritional supplement, or a diet rich in foods with antioxidants is most important.
Personal genetics do play a part as well. Some bodies have the ability to neutralize Free Radials
better than others. Comparing one person to the next is not important. Each individual should
set their own goals and OxiScore is an invaluable guide to achieving them!
DOES
OXISCORE TELL ME IF I AM SICK?
OxiScore does not have any ability to diagnose any disease or determine illness
and should not be used as such. OxiScore simply measures the amount of MDA in urine, which is a measure
of Oxidative stress. Excessive Free Radical activity has been
implicated in disease processes, however, there are many, many reasons for increases in Free Radical activity
(see above) and OxiScore should never be used to replace any type of medical care, testing or advice.
OxiScore is a lifestyle and nutritional guide useful to gauge one's progress towards reduced oxidative
stress.
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