Research & Technical Articles < continued from previous page Optimal nutrition is the goal of nutrition professionals. It results from the properly balanced intake of protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and water. Just ingesting these nutrients is not enough. The nutrients must be readily absorbable and bioavailable; otherwise, they are nothing more than waste material. Free Radicals and Antioxidants Antioxidants and free radicals! Most of us have heard these words before, but have no idea what they mean. It's no secret that antioxidants are generally good, and free radicals are bad. Still our sense of curiosity is left unquenched with such an inadequate description. Antioxidants By now most of us know about antioxidants, protective chemicals such as beta carotene, and Vitamins C and E. During the past decade, these star nutrients have been charged with the ability to protect our health by arresting the production of free radicals. Specifically, antioxidants "work by allowing themselves to be attacked and damaged by free radicals, sparing the cell itself," explains Neal Barnard, MD, in Food for Life (Harmony Books, 1993) Probiotics — Beneficial Bacteria for the Digestive Tract Human health depends on the presence of some bacteria, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, in the digestive tract and the vaginal mucous membranes. There are at least 400 kinds of microorganisms found in the gastrointestinal tract. This amounts to about three pounds of bacteria in the healthy human intestine. Facts & Fallacies About Probiotics Human beings eat food to derive energy and nutrition for the purpose of sustenance, growth and reproduction... In the case of animals, the food is partially digested in the alimentary canal, mouth and stomach and finally in the intestine, where the partially digested food is ultimately metabolized by millions and millions of microorganisms working simultaneously and synergistically. Antibiotics: The End of an Era? If antibiotics are so invincible, why are deaths from infectious disease increasing in this country? Diet and Heart Disease Report "The diet-heart hypothesis has been repeatedly shown to be wrong, and yet, for complicated reasons of pride, profit, and prejudice, the hypothesis continues to be exploited by scientists, fund-raising enterprises, food companies, and even governmental agencies. The public is being deceived by the greatest health scam of the century." Proteolytic Enzymes Offer Valuable Support The use of supplemental proteolytic enzymes is becoming more widespread, largely because of an increase in the recognition of their anti-inflammatory properties, circulatory support and ability to enhance and regulate immune function. > Research continued Home | Product Line | Endorsements | FAQs | Research | Order Products VITAL PRODUX™ 44 Mine Rd. Suite 2, PMB 209 Stafford, Virginia  22554  USA 540-286-2400 – FAX: 540-752-4765 E-mail: info@VitalProdux.com Copyright © 1996-2003, VTI, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Text, graphics, and HTML code are protected by US and International Copyright Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated, hosted, or otherwise distributed by any means without explicit permission. Vital Produx™ is a trademark of VTI, Inc. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.