One of the most popular anti-aging theories is the free radical theory which states that organisms age because cells accumulate free radical damage over time. A free radical is any molecule or atom that has a single unpaired electron in an outer shell. Electrons usually live in pairs and travel in orbitals. This does not define charge which means that the free radical can be positively or negatively charged, or neutral. The damage occurs when the free radical steals the missing electron from another molecule which turns the affected molecule into a free radical. This turns into a chain reaction creating a whole lot of dysfunctional molecules and leads to cross-linking of atomic structures. DNA cross-linking for instance can cause cancer. Cross-linking between fat and protein forms the wrinkles on your skin, the oxidation of LDL (low density lipoprotein) starts plaque formation which could end up as a heart disease or a stroke. As an addition to the free radical theory comes the mitochondrial theory of aging which takes the mitochondria as the main target for the free radicals. The theory states that mitochondrial DNA is less protected than the nuclear DNA and during energy production electrons may escape, interact with water, and form reactive oxygen species (ROS) which accumulate and do the damage over time.
The largest amount of free radicals are produced during inflammation, and energy formation. So we get them every time we take a breath. We get them every time we eat. We get them every time we get injured. It is not a question of if we are going to get them, it is a question of how much.
Grounding is still the most intelligent way to establish balance and control of the free radical chaos:
"It looks to me, from my study of biophysics and cell biology, like the body is designed with a semi-conductive fabric that connects everything in the body, including inside of every cell,...
I refer to this system as the living matrix. Those electrons that enter the bottom of your foot can move anywhere in your body. Any place where a free radical forms, there are electrons nearby that can neutralize that free radical and prevent any of those processes: mitochondrial damage, cross linking of proteins, and mutation or genetic damage.
So the whole fabric is basically an antioxidant defense system that is in every part of our body.
We have this material called ground substance which is part of the connective tissue. It goes everywhere in the body. It's a gel material and it stores electrons. So that if you go barefoot, you will take in electrons and your body will store them, and they will be available at any point where you might have an injury, or any point where a free radical might form..."
Dr. James Oschman
Grounding and ATP production
ATP is our energy currency. The molecule contains adenosine (an adenine ring and a ribose sugar) and three phosphate groups. The groups starting closest to the ribose are referred to as the alpha, beta and gamma phosphates. The energy is stored in the covalent bonds between them with the greatest energy being between the second and the third. A decent analogy is to look at ATP as a rechargeable battery. Its energy is exhausted first and then it gets recharged. ATP is the charged battery which releases energy by cutting loose the third phosphate. ADP (adenosine diphosphate ) is the exhausted battery which gets recharged with the help of additional energy and a phosphate group.
ADP + Pi + energy ----> ATP
Adenosine diphosphate + inorganic Phosphate + energy produces Adenosine Triphosphate
ATP ----> ADP + energy + Pi
Adenosine Triphosphate produces Adenosine diphosphate + energy + inorganic Phosphate
ATP generated from ADP and Phosphate ions is quite a process. There are supportive agents called coenzymes that navigate the flow of the electrons. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) are the two most important enzymes. The removal of electrons or protons from a coenzyme is called oxidation and the opposite is called reduction. So the chemical workings done by the coenzymes are called oxidation-reduction reactions. Together with the coenzymes, another bunch of guys called cytochromes also deal with the electrons in a system known as the electron transport system. Cytochromes and coenzymes extract the energy from the electrons to form ATP from ADP and phosphate ions. So energy always forms by turning a high energy state electron into a low energy state electron.
ATP can be produced by using carbohydrates (broken down to glucose or fructose) or fats ( fatty acids and glycerol ).
The overall process of oxidizing glucose to carbon dioxide in humans is known as cellular respiration and can produce ideally 38 ATPs from a single glucose. There are three distinct stages: glycolysis, citric acid cycle ( also known as the Krebs Cycle ), and the electron transport chain. Glycolysis occurs in the cytoplasm and is purely anaerobic (no oxygen). It breaks down glucose into pyruvate and generates 2 ATPs. From this point the pyruvate can go two ways based on the oxygen usage. If the cells require fast delivery of energy and the aerobic pathway (citric acid cycle) can not fulfil the requirements the pyruvate goes to fermentation turning into lactic acid. Although fermentation is not creating any more ATPs, it allows the glycolysis to start over quickly and get another two ATPs ( by regenerating NAD+ enzyme). The process is highly inefficient but also a lifesaver in times of emergency. We see this in sports all the time when the intensity of the exercise needs energy faster than the mitochondria can produce, the muscle cells switch to fermentation. If there is no rush and the mitochondria is healthy, glycolysis continues to its rightful way. Pyruvate moves on towards the citric cycle. It starts after a preparation step where the pyruvate becomes Acetyl CoA and enters the cycle as Citric Acid producing another 2 ATPs (happens in the matrix of the mitochondrion). After the first two stages the reaction goes to the electron transport chain to generate the bulk of the energy - 34 ATPs with the help of the coenzymes and the cytochromes. This is the stage when the high energy state of the electron is used to create a high pressure turbine which jumbles ADPs and Phosphates together to form ATP.
This is also known as oxidative phosphorylation - the most efficient way to utilize glucose for energy. It is fair to note that grounding improves glucose metabolism by providing high state electrons thus promoting oxidative phosphorylation versus fermentation.
Beta-oxidation is the process of breaking the down the fatty acids in the mitochondria to generate Acetyl CoA which then enters the citric acid cycle and the electron transport chain. The fatty acid metabolism can use a lot of explanation but what’s important is that it generates a lot more ATPs comparing to glucose ( palmitate yields 106 ATPs vs 38 ATPs of the glucose ). So fats are better storage of electrons than carbs.
Being grounded is a good reason why plants don’t need fat storage, they have an access to the high state energy electrons of the earth all the time. So the more we stay connected to earth the more we don’t need fat storage. Yes, grounding consistently will help you lose fat.
Dr. Stephen Sinatra, the author of “The Sinatra Solution: Metabolic cardiology” talks about the importance of ATP production and heart health for years. He has been a promoter of the raw ingredients that help the muscle cell recycle ATP - Co-Q10, D-Ribose, Magnesium, and L-Carnitine. He recently added to the mix the ultimate ATP recharger - Earth’s free electrons. He is convinced that grounding is the most important health discovery in the last 30 years. He also believes that grounding gives the supercharged electrons our body needs to stay on top of the energy game.
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