back
Hydrogen and the Production of Energy
The principal source of energy for the human body is adenosin
triphosphate (ATP). Hydrogen is essential to the production of ATP (12,26). Microhydrinä is an abundant source of Hydrogen. Many people who supplement
their diet with Microhydrin ® report increased energy,
stamina and endurance. The role of Hydrogen in the production of energy is explained in
the following papers by Drs. Flanagan. There are no stimulant ingredients in Microhydrinä.
Free Radicals
High levels of free radicals are a major cause of aging, as well as
many acute and chronic diseases (22). A free radical is a toxic compound that has lost a
negatively charged electron, produced in the body as a by-product of metabolic oxidation.
It therefore carries a positive charge and is unstable. It is capable of attracting
an electron away from a vital cellular site such as the electron-rich DNA. Loss of an
electron can damage a cell and alter its ability to perform its special function or to
replicate itself normally (26). Levels of free radicals are higher in people exposed
to air or water pollution, toxic chemicals, or cigarette smoke.
Antioxidants
An antioxidant is a compound, which has a weak attraction to one of its electrons. It
therefore readily surrenders an electron to a free radical, stabilizing and neutralizing
the free radical, which then becomes a stable compound. Having surrendered an
electron, the antioxidant itself may temporarily become a free radical, but a less
aggressive one until it captures an electron from another antioxidant in a cascade of
electron transfers to milder, and milder, and less damaging compounds. Microhydrin®
, however, is the one, unique antioxidant that does not become a
free radical. The electron it surrenders is an extra electron. The hydrogen ion in
Microhydrin® becomes stable hydrogen, balanced with one
electron and one proton.
Sources of Antioxidants
Antioxidant compounds are produced by the body, but are also obtained
either from food or from dietary supplements. Vitamin C, Beta-carotene, Vitamin E, and
Selenium are well known as water and fat soluble antioxidants, found in fruits, vegetables
and phytonutrient supplements such as algae (spirulina). Other compounds, which also
function as antioxidants include alpha-lipoic acid found in red meat or in supplements,
and proanthocyanidins extracted from grape seeds, or pine bark.
One Antioxidant Molecule Donates One Electron
It is significant to this discussion to realize that each molecule of
an antioxidant compound, no matter how large the molecule, surrenders only one electron.
Because of this fact, Drs. Patrick and Gael Flanagan conceived the idea to find a smaller
molecule that could also surrender an electron. This would create a more potent and
concentrated antioxidant, to help quench the high levels of free radicals we experience
today.
