JUS Global

By Tom Mitchell

Okay, we have a new and improved Jus with a bunch of new scores and more than a few questions.  This kind of stuff is right up my alley so let’s take a ride together as I attempt to sort out the details.  I’m going to have some fun with this so hang on! Here we go…

Radicals, also known as free radicals, are the issue at hand. A free radical is a molecule with an unpaired electron. As a rule, a free radical is highly reactive and unstable; the free radical seeks to pair its unpaired electron with another molecule and will react with other molecules in order to obtain this missing electron. If a radical achieves this by “stealing” an electron from another molecule, that other molecule itself becomes a radical, and a self-propagating chain reaction has begun.

Here’s what you need to know: free radicals in your body can cause a multitude of serious problems. The undesirable consequences of free radical damage includes oxidative stress, an accelerated aging process, damage to your DNA and genes, cell degradation, cell mutations, and even cell death.  There is no “up-side” to free radical damage in the human body. The less cellular damage you have, the better off you’ll be.

ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. It is an in vitro (test tube)

assay (assay is a fancy word that means test or analysis) used to measure the antioxidant capacity of foods, supplements, Jus, etc.  ORAC measures the ability of substances, such as polyphenolics to absorb “free radicals” or prevent them from forming.  All in all, ORAC was and is a great measurement; it was in fact pretty much all we had. And, as our knowledge of oxidative stress and free radical damage began to grow, the ORAC score became a very important number indeed; this score however was just the beginning of a far broader spectrum of measurements.

Here’s a fact for you that you do well to remember; we now know that there is not a “one size fits all” assay or measurement, thus Jus’ decision to formulate a product that scores exceedingly well not in one simple test, but rather five. Such an undertaking was not easy. We already had the highest Peroxyl ORAC score on the planet. By changing our formula we had a lot to lose…or did we?

Here’s the deal… antioxidants protect the body against a variety of harmful free radicals. Broad-spectrum antioxidant protection is very important because different radicals are implicated in different human health conditions. When the original ORAC test was developed, it simply measured the ability of a food to fight one of these radicals, which also happened to be the one most abundant in the human body, the peroxyl radical. Time and progress marches on however; as science has progressed, so has our ability to effectively measure what actually goes on in our bodies. More radicals were discovered; more tests were needed. In summary, one test was good, five are better. Let’s take a look at the current “Big 5” used by Jus.

Peroxyl ORAC – originally conceived by Richard Cutler, advanced and modified

by Drs. Cao, Prior and Brunswick Laboratories – is regarded as the best available test for measuring antioxidant capacity against the peroxyl radical which happens to be the one most abundant in the human body. The Peroxyl ORAC is the score most often quoted as it was the “original” ORAC test. Here’s what you need to know: the ORAC score measures the ability and efficiency in absorbing existing peroxyl radicals within your body. People tend to have a boatload of peroxyl radicals and you need a big sponge to clean them up. Imagine peroxyls as a swarm of cockroaches wanting to take over your body. Now imagine a giant “anti-cockroach” sponge coming in to clean them up. The higher the Peroxyl Orac, the bigger the sponge. Here’s the deal, you want fewer cockroaches in your life? Drink the Jus!

Hydroxyl ORAC – HORAC: Technically, this is an oxygen radical prevention capacity assay – it quantifies the ability of a substance to prevent the formation of hydroxyl radicals rather than absorbing them after their formation (think of it this way, a good defense is a good offense). This assay was developed and put into use back in 2002. The HORAC and ORAC assays measure two different but equally important aspects of antioxidant properties – radical chain breaking and radical prevention.  Here’s what you need to know: the ORAC score reflects peroxyl radical absorption capacity and the HORAC score measures radical prevention ability. Basically the ORAC cleans up the mess once it’s in; the HORAC tries to stop the mess from ever happening in the first place. HORAC measures the “Rottweilers” protecting your body. The higher the HORAC, the bigger and meaner your Rottweilers. You want a bigger Rottweiler? Drink the Jus!

Superoxide ORAC –  SORAC:  Superoxide anion is uniquely harmful among radicals because it is the precursor to other radicals such as hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl. By quenching superoxide, antioxidants also prevent the formation of these other radicals. The human body compensates for superoxide by producing the enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD).  Superoxide is biologically very active and powerful and is thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of many diseases. Here’s what you need to know: Superoxide scavenging capacity in the human body is the first line of defense against oxidative stress. If you can get rid of the superoxide, you can get rid of all the big ugly friends it likes to bring with it. Just imagine a nasty egg-laying Alien wanting to take residence in your body…no thanks! Get rid of the Alien and you don’t have to worry about the eggs! Just say NO! to egg-laying Aliens. Drink the Jus!

Peroxynitrite ORAC – NORAC: This one is downright scary… imagine a cellular Darth Vader on steroids looking to do you in! Peroxynitrite was discovered around twenty years ago. It’s very hard to detect in the body, but here’s the findings so far. Several studies have linked peroxynitrite to Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Dementia, Meningitis and other degenerative neurological diseases. Here’s what you need to know. If you want to steer clear of the stuff just mentioned, you have to steer clear of peroxynitrite. Peroxynitrites are not your friend; they can damage your cells; they can damage your DNA; they can inhibit ATP production; they can promote coronary artery disease; they can deplete antioxidant levels; they can disrupt intracellular signaling; they can cause cell suicide. If there were ever a Darth Vader at the cellular level, Peroxynitrite is the guy. In any event, the higher the NORAC, the fewer “dark side” consequences you’re going to have to deal with.  Jus provides the Jedi Knight protection you need against these bad guys! May the Jus be with you!

Singlet Oxygen Absorbance Capacity – SOAC: This one is interesting. Singlet Oxygen is not actually a free radical at all but rather a highly charged molecule that possesses more energy than it should. Here’s what happens; when these supercharged molecules go around zapping other molecules in the body, damage occurs. Imagine an annoying Richard Simmons type of molecule carrying a tazer…not deadly, but most definitely annoying.  Even though it’s not free radical damage, it’s still damage so we need to control it.

When singlet oxygen occurs in plants, the plant manufactures carotenoids to protect against singlet oxygen by converting it back to normal (non- supercharged) oxygen.

The SOAC is a test that caters especially to singlet oxygen and carotenoids. Carotenoids are primarily found in red, yellow and orange foods such as carrots and pumpkin which tend to score poorly on the standard ORAC test; they simply do not defend well against the peroxyl radicals. However, carotenoids defend brilliantly against singlet oxygen. Singlet oxygen is linked (at least so far) with the oxidation of LDL cholesterol which of course leads to all sorts of cardiovascular issues.  Incidentally, the most common carotenoids found in human tissue include beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, alpha-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin. Here’s what you need to know. We all have enough problems without dealing with a tazer-toting Richard Simmons. If you want less Richards Simmons in your life, you better drink the Jus!

Life can be complicated

Yep, it’s true. Everyday your body has to deal with invading cockroaches, egg-laying Aliens, Darth Vader on steroids, a tazer-toting Richard Simmons and all kinds of bad guys trying to sneak past your Rottweilers. There’s only one “best” solution and that is the new and improved Jus. It has my endorsement as the very best “anti-cockroach, anti-Alien, anti-Darth Vader, anti-Richard Simmons and anti-bad guys in general” drink in the world. Enjoy!

Time to wrap up Part One!

Okay, here’s the deal. Jus had to make a decision. Do we build a winning basketball team built around one “Hall of Fame” player and four okay players? Or…do we build a winning basketball team with five All-Star players who play amazingly well together. The choice was obvious. We would rather have a legendary team than a legendary player.

Part 2 of this series is coming soon. Stay tuned and drink your Jus!

Tom Mitchell

Jus Jedi

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