When our bodies use oxygen, the cells produce free radicals that cause damage to the body’s cellular make-up. Antioxidants are attracted to free radicals and basically will neutralize them.

Many of today’s health problems such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, macular degeneration and others, can be directly attributed to oxidative damage caused by free radicals ravaging the body. This is not only a theory, the role the antioxidants plays in neutralizing free radicals is well documented in medical journals as far back as the 1950s.

When we are young, the body seems to be blessed and can generally maintain at peek efficiency. By the time we reach the age of twenty five, the disease of aging begins. As the aging process slowly progresses, our bodies begin to need more assistance to stay in shape. We don’t feel this aging process actually happening because this actually begins happening at the cellular level of our bodies. In time, the muscle tissue gets less substantial, the bones start becoming more brittle and our immune system is compromised.

When our immune system becomes compromised, we are more prone to infection and disease. Why do our bodies begin breaking down at the cellular level? The main culprit is free radicals. Without enough antioxidants in our bodies to counter the free radicals, they slowly create the oxidative damage that leaves us open to the opportunistic diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and many others.

A little more than fifty years ago, scientists found that heart disease, cancer, strokes, diabetes, cataracts, arthritis and many neuro-degenerative diseases were linked to the destruction caused by free radicals.

Free radicals are formed when weak bonds within a molecule split. These free radicals are highly unstable that attack and capture the closest molecule electron. After this happens, that molecule having lost it’s electron, turns into a free radical and the whole process keeps recycling as a chain reaction. Left unchecked, free radicals create molecular chains that breakdown the bodies ability to regenerate properly. Because antioxidants neutralize the free radicals, keeping enough antioxidants active within the body is paramount.

Antioxidants can naturally be found in many varieties of food sources. There are over 4,000 compounds in foods that have antioxidants. Some of the food rich sources are kidney and pinto beans, blueberries, cranberries, artichoke, blackberries, raspberries, prunes, strawberries, apples, pecans, sweet cherries, plums, russet potatoes and many more.

Also, vitamin A, C and E, the mineral selenium and betacarotene are rich in antioxidants. The non-nutrient antioxidants that come from pytochemicals, lycopenes in tomatoes, athocyanins in cranberries that are believed to have greater effects at fighting free radicals than either vitamins or minerals. Many supplemental vitamins can be purchased through the health and wellness industry.

Many of the experts in health and nutrition all agree that as we get older, we need more antioxidant rich foods in our daily diets to fight off the free radicals from compromising our body and immune system. It is also widely believed that certain antioxidants also aid in slowly down the aging process. Could it be that free radicals play an important role in the aging process itself?

Although nutritionists in the health field have been acknowledging the benefits of antioxidants for several decades, it has only been recently that the medical field has discovered scientific evidence that backs up the role that antioxidants do play in our health.

Today, many medical scientists worldwide are finding strong evidence that antioxidants to play a very large role in the anti-aging process. Many of the degenerative effects of aging can be countered by a combination of nutrients. One of those key nutrients found to be most effective in combating the disease of aging itself is antioxidants.

How much antioxidants do we need in our diet? How much is a recommended daily allowance? To date there is no medical agency within the U.S. that has a set guideline concerning antioxidants in our diet. A few agencies generically recommend 5 servings a day of fruit and vegetables that are rich in antioxidants.

How much is too much? Again, no one medical agency seems to have a figure on this. You could say the jury is still out. Although the medical field agrees on the role that antioxidants play in maintaining our healthy bodies, they do not necessarily agree on how much we should need.

There are some within the health and wellness field that believe we need a lot more antioxidants in our bodies than just consuming from natural sources. There are many nutritional, supplemental vitamins on the market today that provide the healthy antioxidants our body needs to effectively fight off free radicals. Ron Godlewski has written many articles on health, wellness, and maintaining vitality throughout our lifetime. Read more about the importance of nutrition and the many benefits of vitamins in our daily diets in the article library at the Health and Nutrition Articles Library, and even receive your own complementary copy of a nationally recognized health and nutrition magazine for just visiting! WordPress Autoblog Plugin

Wouldn’t we all like to age gracefully (if at all for that matter!) and ward off the wrinkly signs and ill symptoms for as long as possible. Keys to longevity may be more accessible than we think, and it appears our diets play a critical role. Antioxidants are the knights in shining armor that subjugate the attack of free radicals in the body, the hazardous molecules that damage cells and procure aging and disease. Though antioxidants are produced naturally in the body, these decline with age, hence an increasing need to acquire them from the foods in our diet. Before examining antioxidants more closely, it is important to take a look at the free radicals they serve to neutralize. Free Radicals Free radicals are created as by-products in our use of oxygen during metabolism such as the burning of food for energy. They are essentially oxidant molecules that are missing an electron and seek to restore themselves by targeting nearby cells in an attempt to recover this electron, potentially harming enzymes, DNA, proteins and cell membranes in the process. This damage can mutate cells and alter cell function, increasing the risk of numerous diseases and chronic conditions including arthritis, diabetes, cataracts, cancer, heart disease and stroke. Free radical damage is implicated in the onset of aging and its degenerative symptoms and diseases. As well as generated within the body, free radicals come from environmental sources such as pollution, radiation, unhealthy foods, bacteria, viruses, cigarette smoke and UV light. Antioxidants Antioxidants serve to mitigate the harmful effect of free radicals by giving up an electron and stabilizing them in the process. Although we produce many of our own antioxidants within the body, food provides an essential source for these key players of our defense system. Vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients all have antioxidant properties. The most common examples include vitamins A, C and E, selenium and zinc, carotenoids, flavonoids, co-enzyme Q10, alpha-lipoic acid and glutathione. As there are many different types of free radicals in the body a variety of antioxidants are required to protect against them. Antioxidants function best as a team, with each other and other nutrients and phytochemicals, which is why incorporating a wide range of plant foods into your diet is recommended. Phytochemical groups such as flavonoids and carotenoids correspond to the colour, taste and smell attributes of plants, hence eating a rainbow array of vegetables and fruits can offer a diverse selection of these potent antioxidants. Antioxidant Rich Foods Foods especially high in antioxidants include berries, plums, pomegranates, oranges, spinach, green tea, avocado, kale, broccoli, peas, onions, grapes and pure chocolate. Scientists at the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) have developed a rating scale that measures the total antioxidant capacity of a given food. This is known as the ORAC score (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity). Of 40 common fruits and vegetables measured by the USDA, top ranking scores were those of prunes(5770), raisins (2830), blueberries (2400 – highest of all fresh foods with other berries close behind), kale (1770), spinach (1260), Brussels sprouts (980), plums (949), alfalfa sprouts (930), broccoli florets (890), beetroots (840), oranges (750 ), red peppers (710 ) and red grapes (739). Pure cocoa surpasses all these foods with a whopping score of 26,00 units, more than 10 times the prestigious blueberry (though one is likely to eat far less in quantity). The extraordinary goji berry from Tibet also has outstanding antioxidant capacity with a score of 18,500 units; hardly surprising as they contain 500 times more vitamin C than oranges and even more beta-carotene than carrots! According to studies on animals and human blood at the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts in Boston, high-ORAC foods may slow aging processes in the body and brain. Results found that high ORAC foods such as blueberries and spinach could increase the antioxidant power of human blood by 10-25%, prevent loss of long-term memory and learning ability in middle-aged rats, and protect rat blood vessels against oxygen damage. Antioxidants and Aging As we age, free radical levels rise and yet the body falls short in producing necessary amounts of antioxidants to meet this challenge. For example, cells generate more of the oxidants hydrogen peroxide and superoxide, yet levels of the necessary antioxidant glutathione required to neutralise these decline. The Free Radical Theory of Aging, first proposed by Harman in 1954, is supported by cross-species examination of animals with regard to life span, free radical damage and antioxidant defence. For example, the white-footed mouse lives about twice as long as the house mouse (8 versus 4 years), and is found to generate less oxidants and have higher levels of antioxidants. As Beckman and Ames write in The Free Radical Theory of Ageing Matures (1998), ‘Together, interspecies comparisons of oxidative damage, antioxidant defences, and oxidant generation provide some of the most compelling evidence that oxidants are one of the most significant determinants of life span.’ Very recent evidence comes from a study on dogs at the University of Toronto by Dr. Dwight Tapp and colleagues who found that ‘old dogs that were on an antioxidant diet performed better on a variety of cognitive tests than dogs that were not on the diet. In fact, the dogs eating antioxidant-fortified foods performed as well as young animals’. Additional research by Dr. Rabinovitch and his team, studying aging at the University of Washington, Seattle, found that mice engineered to produce high levels of an antioxidant enzyme (catalase) lived 20 per cent longer and had less heart and other age-related diseases than controls. In light of the role free radicals play in the onset of aging and disease, it is important to ensure our diets include a rich and diverse supply of antioxidants. These protective agents can be found abundantly in vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds and are particularly high in superfoods. Tenerife car rental

Instead of thinking about things you should not eat, consider foods you can add to your eating plan to help fight disease. One disease or condition that is common to all animals and people is called oxidation.
Like rust on a car, oxidation can cause damage to cells and may contribute to aging. Oxidation causes the formation of substances called free radicals, which is the primary cause of age related skin wrinkles and pigment discoloration.
During exercise, oxygen consumption is increased by 10 times or more, which leads to a significant increase in the production of oxidants. This results in damage that contributes to muscular fatigue during and after exercise. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), which is an inflammatory response that occurs typically within 24 hours after strenuous exercise, is also associated with oxidative stress.
Worse yet, the brain is uniquely vulnerable to oxidative injury, due to its high metabolic rate and elevated levels of polyunsaturated lipids, the target of lipid peroxidation (creation of unstable molecules containing more oxygen than usual).
Project Swole Chemistry 101
Before we can understand free radicals, we must understand a bit about cells and molecules. The human body is composed of many different types of cells, which are composed of many different types of molecules. Molecules consist of one or more atoms of one or more elements joined by chemical bonds.
Atoms consist of a nucleus, which in turn consist of neutrons, protons and electrons. The number of protons (positive charge) in the atom’s nucleus determines the number of electrons (negative charge) surrounding the atom. It is the electrons that are involved in chemical reactions and are the substance that bonds atoms together to form molecules.
Electrons orbit an atom in one or more rings or shells, which are filled from the inner most ring to the outer most ring, with each ring containing 2n^2 where n is the ring number. For example the first ring (n = 1) contain 2(1)^2 = 2 electrons, while the third ring (n = 3) contains 2(3)^2 = 18 electrons, etc…
The number of electrons in an atom’s outer shell is the main factor that determines that atom’s chemical behavior. Atoms strive to fill all of their rings with electrons and will rapid engage in chemical reactions when their outer rings have one or more missing electrons, while an atom with a full outer shell (an inert atom, which has maximum stability) tends not to participate in chemical reactions.
Atoms try to reach maximum stability by:
* Stealing or dropping electrons to either fill or empty the outer shell
* Sharing the electrons in the outer shell by bonding together with other atoms
Free Radicals
Bonds do not normally split in a way that leaves an atom with an odd, unpaired electron. But when this does happen (with weak bonds) free radicals are formed. Free radicals are very unstable and react quickly with other compounds, trying to recapture the needed electron to gain stability.
Free radicals generally attack the nearest stable molecule in an attempt to steal its electron. When the molecular victim loses the electron that once made it stable, it becomes a free radical itself, thus beginning a chain reaction. Once this cycle has begun, it can often have a cascading waterfall effect that results in the disruption of the overall living cell.
Some free radicals arise normally during metabolism, while other free radicals are purposefully created by the body’s immune system to neutralize viruses and bacteria. Environmental factors such as pollution, radiation, cigarette smoke and herbicides can facilitate this process, creating unnecessary free radicals.
The body can usually handle a normal amount of free radicals, unless antioxidants are unavailable. If free radical production becomes excessive or antioxidants are used up, cellular damage can occur. The free radical damage that accumulates with age is particularly important, and can be partially protected against by ingesting as many antioxidants as possible.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants help prevent oxidation, may help increase immune function, and possibly decrease risk of infection and cancer. Most people can benefit by adding foods rich in antioxidants, naturally occurring plant substances that help block bad free radicals in our bodies.
Antioxidants neutralize free radicals by donating one of their own electrons, ending the electron-stealing reaction. The antioxidant nutrients themselves do not become free radicals by donating an electron because they are stable in either form. They act as scavengers, helping to prevent cellular damage and disease.
Acai berries have one of the highest total antioxidant concentrations of all fruits and vegetables on the planet, which has led many people to include an acai berry supplement in their diet and to search for acai berry diets and acai berry weight loss strategies.
Here are some other healthy foods you can eat to help boost antioxidant levels:
* beans: red beans, black beans, pinto beans, and lentils
* green tea
* red grapes (or wine, but be careful as developing a wine habit will add excessive calories to your daily intake)
* blueberries
* cherries
* white potatoes
* artichokes
* whole grains
* nuts and seeds
In general, fruits and vegetables provide many important nutrients including antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene and lycopene.
Vitamin C and Vitamin E
The vitamins C and E are thought to protect the body against the destructive effects of free radicals.
* Vitamin E is the most abundant fat-soluble antioxidant in the body. This is one of the most efficient chain-breaking antioxidants available, and is the primary defender against oxidation and lipid peroxidation.
* Vitamin C is the most abundant water-soluble antioxidant in the body. This acts primarily in cellular fluid, and is the most efficient at combating free-radical formation caused by pollution and cigarette smoke. Vitamin C also helps return vitamin E to its active form.
Foods containing a high concentration of vitamin C:
* citrus fruits: oranges, limes, lemons
* green peppers
* strawberries
* guava (tropical)
* plums
* grapefruit
* black currant
* tamarillo
* rosehip
* persimmon
* kiwi
* melon: honeydew, cantelope, watermelon
* jujube
Foods containing a high concentration of vitamin E:
* wheat germ oil
* almonds, dry roasted
* sunflower seed kernels, dry roasted
* sunflower oil
* safflower oil
* liver oil
* hazelnuts, dry roasted
* peanut butter
* peanuts, dry roasted
* corn oil
* spinach
* soybean oil
* whole grains
* green leafy vegetables
Carotenoids, Beta-carotene, and Vitamin A
A few of the better known antioxidants include carotenoids, which gives fruits and vegetables their deep rich colors. Plant carotenoids are the primary dietary source of vitamin A worldwide. The most efficient pro-vitamin A carotenoid is beta-carotene, which is abundant in yellow and orange fruits.
Vietnam gac has by far the highest content of beta-carotene of any know fruit or vegetable, 10 times higher than carrots, for example. Unfortunately, gac is quite rare and unknown outside its native region of SE Asia.
Foods containing a high level of carotenoids:
* apricots
* mangoes
* papayas
* pumpkin
* cantaloupes
* sweet potatoes (yams)
* carrots
* red peppers
* Vietnam gac (Momordica Cochinchinensis Spreng)
* green leafy vegetables: spinach, kale, sweet potato leaves, and sweet gourd leaves
* broccoli
* squash
* tomatoes
* kale
* collards
Foods containing vitamins C and E are also good sources of antioxidants, as well as selenium and zinc.
Lycopene
Lycopene is a pigment that gives vegetables and fruits, such as tomatoes, pink grapefruit and watermelon, their red color. In recent years, lycopene has received a lot of attention from researchers because it also has strong antioxidant capabilities. Several studies indicate that consumption of lycopene-rich foods is associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease.
You can only obtain the benefits of lycopene by eating lycopene-rich foods, as it is not manufactured by the body. Canned tomato products, such as spaghetti sauce, tomato juice, ketchup and pizza sauce are by far the major sources of lycopene for most Americans. Other fruits and vegetables such as watermelon and pink grapefruit also provide lycopene, but in smaller amounts.
Other Antioxidants
There are some other important antioxidants that we haven’t really gone over yet, such as:
* selenium
o fish & shellfish
o red meat
o grains
o eggs
o chicken
o garlic
* phytochemicals
o flavonoids / polyphenols
+ soy
+ red wine
+ purple grapes
+ pomegranate
+ cranberries
+ tea
o lutein – dark green vegetables such as kale, broccoli, kiwi, brussel sprouts and spinach
o lignan
+ flax seed
+ oatmeal
+ barley
+ rye
* antioxidants with additional vitamin qualities
o Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
o glutathione
* antioxidant enzymes made by the body
o superoxide dismutase (SOD)
o catalase
o glutathione peroxidase
Antioxidants work in a variety of ways to reduce the effects of free radicals. They can greatly decrease the damage caused by free radicals, stop them from forming to begin with, or oxidize them through a stabilizing chemical reaction to neutralize their harmful effects.
There are many vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and herbs that act as antioxidants or aid in the production of them. The best way to make sure you have covered all the bases in neutralizing free radicals is to eat the right foods and to supplement with a wide variety of antioxidants.
The best antioxidant supplements that I have found include:
* Extreme Acai Berry, which helps with weight loss
* Enhanced Green Tea, also helps with weight loss
* Pomegranate Cleanse, antioxidant digestive cleanser
Start seeing and feeling the results of antioxidant supplementation today! Steve Hanson has 10 years experience in the fields of exercise science and sports nutrition. He writes articles on all forms of athletic training and nutritional theories. View the blog to learn more about your favorite exercise and nutrition topics.

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A diet rich in antioxidants helps prevent cancer, diabetes, arthritis, excessive weight gain, and premature aging. The Super Anti-oxidant Diet and Nutrition Guide is a total health plan that helps readers adopt and live a lifestyle that unlocks the natural power of antioxidants for superior health.Gourmet chef and former marketing director for Whole Foods Market, Robin Jeep offers a plan that is reasonable, easy to follow and acknowledges that eating for whole health can include (more…)