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Aging Process and Ketosis
There are several theories being researched about the human aging process. Some are genetically based, and others are "damage" based, meaning they involve chemical pathways within the body which result in damage to cellular structures and body tissues. Let's look at several, and then I'll explain how a ketogenic diet can help slow down the rate of aging associated with these processes.
Free Radical Theory of Aging
The most well known damage theory of aging is called the "free radical" theory. Just about everywhere you look, someone is talking about free radicals and the fix for them, the so called antioxidants. Free radicals are chemically reactive molecules (sometimes called ROS or reactive oxygen species ) which can bind to our cells, and cause damage and inflammation to cellular DNA and other proteins.
"Chemically reactive" refers to the fact that free radicals are missing an electron and looking to grab that electron from some other molecule. This reactive process is called "oxidation" and it results in a chain of damage, like dominos falling. When a free radical steals an electron from a neighboring molecule, that molecule then becomes reactive, and the chain is repeated. Over time, lots of damage is done, and aging is accelerated.
Tags: health, food, repost
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