Phyto5000 is one of the most potent and full spectrum antioxidant formulas ever released. Phyto refers to phytonutrient, in essence a class of powerfully nutritious substances that are derived from plants. The 5000 refers to the minimum antioxidant rating per capsule that was the target of the formulation. The usual rating given to an antioxidant food source is called the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, or ORAC level. The typical ORAC value of a serving of fruits or vegetables is 350-500. Thus an ORAC value of 5000 would be comparable to the value of over 7-9 servings of fruits and vegetables, the generous end of the range of ingestion recommended for good health.

Given this very high rating what does this mean? If Phyto5000 is a potent antioxidant supplement, what is an oxidant, and why is it good to oppose or neutralize them? An oxidant is a substance that causes oxidation, the combination of oxygen with a compound to oxidize that compound. In a campground, this would be the process causing the kindling and sustaining of the burning campfire. In your car engine, combining gas with a spark and oxygen is called combustion. The byproducts of combustion in these cases are largely carbon dioxide and water generated from complex hydrocarbon fuels.

It is through combustion or oxidation of food, primarily glucose and fats that provides the power to support the life activities of your cells. The cells have their own version of a combustion engine called mitochondria. These take food in the form of organic compounds and combust them to carbon dioxide and water, generating a flexible chemical energy form known as ATP (adenosine triphosphate). This molecule, ATP, then drives the actions of the body to make muscles move, nerves conduct, and new molecules construct.

Thus, the oxidative process is essential for the vitality and function of the 100 trillion cells that compose the human body. Each of these cells has numerous internal combustion engines, the mitochondria, generating the currency of ATP needed to maintain, regenerate, and repair the system. While oxidation is essential to life, the byproducts of this process are partly oxidized molecules that are like sparks from a fire that can cause much damage if not put out quickly.

These residues that issue from oxidation are known as free radicals. The essence of the concept of free radicals is that these molecules have lost an electron and are not balanced. The free radical thus formed will seek to rip out electrons from another nearby molecule. The nearby molecule thus denuded of an electron will seek to do this to another molecule, and so the cascade of molecular injury can continue. The targets of free radicals are especially important molecules in the cell, such as cell membranes, critical proteins, and even the DNA itself. A single free radical that forms and ravages unchecked can damage hundreds and even thousands of molecules in this process. A free radical is a spark that begins a fire that can burn through 5000 times its number unless the spark is put out early in the process.

Enter the anti-oxidants. These cellular protectors are specific types of molecules that excel at finding free radicals and giving them an electron to cool them off. Thus a single antioxidant molecule that works early in the process can protect up to thousands of other essential molecules in the cell. It can be viewed as if the house of the body and all its rooms constantly had little sparks ready to ignite the room. The anti-oxidants are the fire quenchers that allow the sparks to fly without the rooms catching fire. They act to prevent the injury from occurring in the first place which is much easier and more effective than repairing injury after it has already occurred.

Of course the human body is a bit more complex than this. There are several different types of free radicals that form as a byproduct of cell metabolism, and each may require a different type of antioxidant to get an effective quench effect. Phyto5000 has been developed to provide a broad spectrum of antioxidant protection against many types of free radical threats, accounting for its especially high total ORAC rating.

If your objective is anti-aging clearly the home of your body will tend to last longer if the sparks are not allowed to consume your core molecular structures. This formula is the central key to a longevity and health preservation system.

To have a more complete cellular regeneration program, there are additional metabolic systems that support longevity at the DNA level and throughout cellular structure. Particularly important is the chemistry that can slow stop and even reverse the aging process at the DNA level.