Why Are Antioxidants Important To Me?

Did you know that when we breath oxygen, it interacts with certain molecules in our bodies to create free radicals and that these free radicals damage important cellular structures such as DNA and cell membranes?  Well, it is true and this damage may lead to cells to function poorly and mutate.  Free radical damage may lead to disease and aging. 

We are exposed to massive amounts of free radicals from pollution, and insecticides.  Each time you breathe, you are taking in millions of free radical molecules made by fag smoke, radiation, and automobile emissions.  Each time you eat, you consume free radicals in the form of pesticides and additives. 

This is where antioxidants come in.  Our bodies have a natural defense system against these free radicals.  Our immunity mechanism creates antioxidants which can neutralise free radicals and prevent much cellular damage.  We also need antioxidants from other sources like fruits, veggies, nuts, grains, some meat, birds and fish. 

I bet you’ll recognize these antioxidants : vitamin E, C and beta carotene ( a kind of vitamin A.  Others include luetin, lycopene, magnesium, and zinc. 

There was much talk about antioxidants forestalling coronary disease which is so threatening that it leads to a median of 1 death each 34 seconds.  The American Heart Association says, ?Oxidation of low-density lipoprotein ( LDL or “bad” ) cholesterol is vital in the development of fatty buildups in the arteries.  This process, called atherosclerosis ( ath”er-o-skleh-RO’sis ), can lead to coronaries and strokes.  Enlarging evidence implies that LDL cholesterol lipoprotein oxidation and its biological effects can be forestalled by using antioxidants — both in the diet and in supplements.?  In 1993, Harvard varsity researchers claimed that supplemental batches of vitamin E essentially reduced the danger of heart disease by as much as 54 percent! 

And what effects can antioxidants have on the huge ?C?  Word?  This is a question that each one of us are dying to know since one Yank in every three living today will get cancer, and one in 4 will expire from it.  The nation’s Cancer Institute announces, ?Considerable lab proof from chemical, cell culture, and animal studies reveals that antioxidants may slow or possibly forestall the development of cancer.  However, information from recent clinical tests is less clear.?  Selenium, an antioxidant mineral can help protect against breast cancer.  One expert, Dr.  Gerhard Schrauzer of the college of California at San Diego, stated , “If every lady in America began to take selenium additions or had a high-selenium diet, then within just a few years the breast cancer rate in this country would drastically decline.  And according to a study by Dr.  Larry Clark of the University of Arizona, 200 micrograms daily of selenium cut the rate of prostate trouble by 69% and lung cancer by 34%. 

So clearly antioxidants are vital for all of us to brace and protect our immune defenses and to help guard against illness.  Antioxidants may even help us live longer.  The concept is that if free radical damage causes aging, antioxidants in high enough quantities should be able to slow aging.  This theory is sophisticated in one California study of folk aged 50 or older, where it was found that those “…  With a higher intake of vitamin C were found to possess a total rate of mortality only 40% of that for those with the lower intake of C …  This decrease in the death rate corresponds to an increase by eleven years in the length of life.” Even small doses of vitamin C can help .  According to one UCLA study only three hundred mg a day can add 6 years to a person’s life and 2 years to a girl’s life. 

Antioxidants are made naturally by your body but reinforcement from food or other sources is required.  The highest concentrations of antioxidants are found in the most deeply or brightly coloured fruit and vegetables like spinach, red bell peppers, raspberries, carrots, apricots, pomegranates, and tomatoes.