SOD: The Body’s Own Antioxidant

From: http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2008/oct2008_Natural-Methods-for-Reversing-Atherosclerosis_01.htm

One of the most important enzymes in the body, superoxide dismutase (SOD) was identified by scientists only 40 years ago.22 SOD is the major antioxidant enzyme that provides the body’s first enzymatic step in the defense system against oxidative stress. As a natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, SOD maintains cellular health by activating cellular repair. Most importantly, SOD plays a pivotal role in protecting tissues from damage by oxidant stress by removing or neutralizing the superoxide radical that has been implicated in many disease states including inflammatory diseases, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer.23
A study published in the journal Circulation in 2002 found that in patients with chronic heart failure, endothelial-bound SOD activity was substantially reduced. Diminished SOD levels were closely linked with increased vascular oxidative stress, which contributes to endothelial dysfunction in chronic heart failure.24
SOD also has important anti-aging qualities. Mice lacking a form of SOD die from oxidative stress within days of birth25 and those bred without a second type of SOD are highly susceptible to age-related problems like cataracts.26 Unfortunately, SOD levels decline as we age—reducing our defense against free radicals just at the time when the body’s free radical activity is increased.27
Therefore it makes sense for scientists to look for a way to increase SOD levels in the body to be able to benefit from this important antioxidant.28 Food scientists found that a certain species of melon naturally contained high levels of SOD. Supplementing with this melon extract, however, failed to boost SOD levels in the body because acids and enzymes in the digestive system broke down the SOD before it could be assimilated into the body. After much trial and error, scientists combined SOD with gliadin protein from wheat extract to create an orally effective delivery system called GliSODin® that is capable of increasing the body’s levels of protective SOD. This new bioavailable form of SOD passes through the stomach intact, then continues to the intestines, where it is absorbed into the bloodstream.
A clinical study confirms GliSODin®’s ability to provide antioxidant protection to the body. For 28 days, scientists supplemented animals with either standardized melon SOD or with standardized melon SOD extract combined with gliadin (GliSODin®). The two groups were evaluated for various biomarkers of oxidative stress. Animals supplemented with GliSODin® showed a significant elevation in circulating antioxidant enzyme activity, correlated with an increased resistance of red blood cells to oxidative stress-induced hemolysis (rupture). In contrast, animals supplemented with melon SOD alone showed no change in their level of antioxidant protection.29
Another study powerfully demonstrated GliSODin®’s protective effects on the cardiovascular system. A group of doctors at a preventive medicine society in Paris administered GliSODin® to adults aged 30-60 years old at risk for cardiovascular disease based on genetic factors, blood chemistry, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), and a history of cigarette smoking. Remarkably, the physicians found that two years of supplementation with GliSODin® actually reversed the buildup of atherosclerotic plaque in the carotid arteries, as determined by ultrasound measurements of carotid intima-media thickness. Additionally, GliSODin® supplementation increased antioxidant capacity in the subjects.28
Together, these findings suggest that GliSODin® may offer a practical strategy for maintaining youthful levels of protective SOD as we age, which may help prevent and even reverse endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis.