On ‘malondialdehyde’ and ‘superoxide dismutase’

DO you remember our “mutton vs. lamb” article last month (Antioxidant Action of Grapeseed Oil in ‘Lambs’)?

Well, someone (i.e. not just one) “whispered” in my email, suggesting that I must define the words “malondialdehyde” and “superoxide dismutase” myself because they may miss important health implications from the article if they Google it themselves. So, here I go, obligingly.

“Malondialdehyde” has nothing to do with “watermelons.” Far from it. It is a byproduct of fat metabolism in our body. When the liver breaks down saturated fats, malondialdehyde appears in the liver.

The problems with malondialdehyde are many. It is a reactive chemical species. Reactive does not mean it causes explosions in your liver. However, when it decomposes, it creates irritating gases with acrid smell. It is the reason why rancid (pan-os) food smells that way. That is also the reason why you must not eat rancid foods. They contain high levels of malondialdehyde.

Consequently, malondialdehyde causes liver cells to experience toxic stress. In simple words, it will cause the liver cells to weaken by poisoning, limiting their ability to continue metabolizing anything we ingest. If the poisoning worsens, it causes liver damage, which you will notice in abnormal increases in your SGPT (ALT) and SGOT (AST) blood test results. (So, it is wise to check your liver function tests regularly.)

Another problem with malondialdehyde that you must know is that it can cause liver cancer. If the deoxyadenosine and deoxyguanosine components of your DNA (or genes) encounter malondialdehyde in your liver cells, the affected genes can mutate, which will initiate the appearance of cancer cells.

Meanwhile, “superoxide dismutase” can be detected as an enzyme because of its “-ase” suffix. All enzymes have this suffix. This enzyme is our body’s largest antioxidant defense system. You need a copper and zinc diet to normalize its production in the body. This enzyme system attacks reactive oxygen species (but not malondialdehyde), which cause cardiovascular diseases (e.g. high blood pressure or atherosclerosis).

So, if we reconnect to the antioxidant action of grapeseed oil, the grapeseed oil destroys malondialdehyde but not the reactive oxygen species. Thus, you need this antioxidant defense to destroy malondialdehyde, which superoxidase dismutase usually has no effect on.

Let me then “whisper” to those who “whispered” in my email. Thanks for checking out Breakthroughs every Wednesday in the last 12 years.

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