by:
Sylvia Riley
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.
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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.
Copyright 2006 Sylvia Riley
About The Author
Sylvia Riley is an author, writer and researcher
in the field of natural health and nutrition.
Discover the worlds ultimate superfoods: http://www.miracle-superfoods.com
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