Nutrient Synergy | Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy & Nephropathy

Antioxidants
Atherosclerosis
Diabetes
Diabetic Nephropathy
Diabetic Retinopathy
Free Radicals
Growth Factors
Microangiopathy
Micronutrient
Nutriceutical
Nutrient Deprivation
Oxidative Stress
Vascular Proliferation

ANTIOXIDANTS: Reactive by-products of normal metabolic processes produce three forms of oxygen: molecular oxygen, peroxide, and super-oxide. All three forms react by taking electrons from other molecules, a type of reaction called oxidation. The body prevents damaging oxidation by providing compounds with which the oxidants can react harmlessly. These compounds are called antioxidants.

Antioxidants are molecules which can safely donate one of their own electrons to free radical molecules thus neutralizing the free radical. Antioxidants act as scavengers, helping to prevent cell and tissue damage that could lead to cellular damage and disease. Antioxidants also supplement and enhance nutrients and biochemicals that may be overly depleted in the body or avoided in the diet, primarily as a result of aging. Many nutrients have antioxidant functions. The nutrients most frequently recognized as having antioxidant capacity are Vitamin E, the mineral selenium, beta carotene, and Vitamin C. Proanthocyanidin is considered to be one of the most powerful antioxidants.

ATHEROSCLEROSIS: Atherosclerosis is a type of arteriosclerosis caused by a buildup of plaque in the inner lining of an artery.

DIABETES: A chronic disease of epidemic proportion, diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of renal failure (diabetic nephropathy) and loss of vision (diabetic retinopathy) in adults ages 20-74 years in the United States.

DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY: Diabetic nephropathy is a deterioration of the kidneys caused by proliferated growth and subsequent bursting of the tiny blood vessels in the kidneys. In its early stages, diabetic nephropathy has no clinical signs or symptoms. After many years of diabetes the delicate filtering system in the kidneys becomes destroyed, initially becoming leaky to large blood proteins such as albumin which are then lost in urine. This is more likely to occur if the blood sugar is poorly controlled. Approximately 10% of diabetics in the United States suffer from diabetic nephropathy.

DIABETIC RETINOPATHY: Diabetic retinopathy is a potentially blinding complication of diabetes that damages the eye’s retina. It affects over four million Americans diagnosed with diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy occurs when the explosion of free radicals causes clogging and damages the tiny blood vessels in the retina. It is a progressive disease, and eventually, if enough of the retina is destroyed, total blindness may result.

FREE RADICALS: Free radicals are defective oxygen atoms that occur when stable molecules gain or lose an unpaired electron. Once formed in this manner, free radicals can multiply in a chain reaction. This is evident when free radicals adhere to steel to make it rust or when they oxidize paint, causing it to fade. Sliced fruit will turn brown in minutes when free radicals in the air attack the cells. Free radicals are present everywhere but the worst sources are generally manufactured in our bodies. Excess amounts of these free radicals can also be damaging to every cell type in the body. They cause wrinkles, age spots, and most other signs and symptoms of aging in humans. Free radicals bind cholesterol and other saturated fats together, causing them to clog blood vessels. Although free radicals can be very useful to our immune system, as we age we tend to over-produce them which can cause serious chronic diseases such as arthritis and cancer. Thankfully antioxidants exist, since they attract free radicals and harmlessly flush them away.

GROWTH FACTORS: A growth factor is a protein that is involved in cell differentiation and growth. It stimulates cell division. When produced in excessive amounts, a growth factor may be associated with abnormal growth such as that seen in cancer.

MICROANGIOPATHY: With microangiopathy, the walls of the smaller blood vessels become so thick and weak that they bleed, leak protein, and slow the flow of blood through the body. Nepretin provides the biochemicals needed to help combat microangiopathy and normal atherosclerosis.

MICRONUTRIENT: A micronutrient is an organic compound, such as a vitamin, essential in small amounts to growth and health. Numerous micronutrients are used in the Nepretin formulation for diabetic retinopathy and diabetic nephropathy.

NUTRICEUTICAL: A nutriceutical is a product, usually in the form of a pill, containing supplements from natural sources that has nutritional value and delivers specific health benefits. A nutriceutical can also be any food or food ingredient considered to provide medical or health benefits, including the prevention and treatment of diseases. Nutriceuticals are also referred to as “functional foods” or “pharmafoods.” The nutriceuticals used in LiForce products are pharmaceutical-grade compounds, which are readily absorbed by the body and contain powerful and highly effective micronutrients and antioxidants which aid in the healing process.

NUTRIENT DEPRIVATION: Nutrient deprivation occurs in the presence of microangiopathy, oxidative stress, and vascular proliferation when the damaged cells’ ability to receive the nutrients needed to repair themselves is inhibited. The Nepretin formulation ensures that concentrations of these nutrients are extra abundant so that cell walls partially clogged with free radical adhesives can still absorb the needed nutrients by osmosis. Therefore, even damaged cells can either repair themselves or replace themselves through cell division and replacement.

OXIDATIVE STRESS: Oxidative stress is the self-perpetuating chain reaction of damage to cells by free radical oxygen atoms. This begins the process of atherosclerosis, as the debris in the bloodstream, such as dead cells and cholesterol, are attracted and stick to small blood vessel walls due to the adhesive effect of free radicals. As the quantity of free radicals increases, so does the amount of atherosclerotic plaque that sticks to blood vessel walls thereby further decreasing the blood’s supply of oxygen and nutrients. This process continues until a large quantity of certain antioxidants becomes available to absorb the free radicals and stop the oxidative stress. Nepretin contains a large number of antioxidants specifically designed to interrupt and manage oxidative stress.

VASCULAR PROLIFERATION: Vascular proliferation occurs when oxidative stress destroys the tiny mechanisms in the blood vessel walls that control the release of growth factors. Growth factors tell the blood vessels to create new branches of arteries. Without the ability to stop the flow of growth factors, the blood vessels of the retina create so many new unneeded branches that they disrupt the retinal wall similar to the way tree roots can disrupt a sidewalk. The Nepretin formulation provides rare macromolecules that replace the missing chemical that would normally control the release of growth factors. This eliminates the entire process by which vascular proliferation occurs.