En Español (Spanish Version) - Therapeutic Dosages - Therapeutic
Uses - Safety Issues In the body, dangerous naturally occurring
substances called free radicals pose a risk of harm to many
tissues. The body deploys an “antioxidant defense system” to
hold them in check. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is one of the
most important elements of this system. It controls levels of a
chemical named “superoxide.” The body manufactures superoxide to
kill bacteria and for other uses, but excess levels of
superoxide can injure healthy cells. SOD converts superoxide to
hydrogen peroxide. Then another enzyme, catalase, neutralizes
hydrogen peroxide. Nutrients such as also help neutralize free
radicals. In the 1990s, such were widely promoted for preventing
a variety of diseases, including cancer and heart disease.
During this period, oral SOD became popular as a supplemental
antioxidant supplement. Unfortunately, the results of several
large studies tended to dash these hopes. Compared to ordinary
antioxidants, SOD suffers fro