Antioxidant Power

Every day it seems there is a new berry or magic food touting the antioxidant value. What does it all mean? Well, first we need to know a little bit more about antioxidants before we can determine if and how these foods can help us. According to "Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies," (a college textbook on nutrition), the body's cells use oxygen to produce energy. In the process, sometimes the oxygen reacts with body compounds to produce highly unstable molecules known as free radicals. Besides the natural occurrence of these free radicals, environmental factors such as radiation, pollution, tobacco smoke, and others can act as "oxidants" causing free radical formation. When these free radicals exceed the body's defenses against them, a condition called "oxidative stress" occurs, and this condition has been linked to the development of over 200 diseases including but not limited to: age-related blindness, arthritis, some cancers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and kidney disease, to name a few.

Your two main defenses against free radical damage are your free reserves of antioxidants and your enzyme systems that oppose oxidation. If your body does not have sufficient antioxidants and your body's repair systems can't undo all of the damage, health problems may develop. The antioxidant vitamins E, C, and the vitamin A precursor beta carotene actively scavenge and quench free radicals, becoming oxidated and inactive themselves in the process. So you can see, you must continually consume foods packed with antioxidant power to keep the prevalence of free radicals down and the level of your health up. Different antioxidants protect you in different ways, and if you'd like to learn more about antioxidants, contact me and/or search the web on your own. Otherwise, keep eating plenty of antioxidant-rich foods, be active, and restrict activities like smoking that can create major health problems for you later! Click on the title to link to the antioxidant wikipedia page. Thanks for reading, have a great Friday, and check back tomorrow!