Alternative Health

That being said, free radicals, as by-products of oxidation, will always be present in our body. But what if there is a way for us to retard the development of free radicals? What if there is a way to break the free radical chain reaction? What if there is a way to prevent those diseases caused by harmful free radicals from developing?

Antioxidants are commonplace in nature. In fact, antioxidants are abundant in more common vitamins such as retinol or Vitamin A, ascorbic acid or Vitamin C, tocopherol or Vitamin E, and selenium. They can be nutrients (vitamins and minerals) as well as enzymes (proteins in your body that assist in chemical reactions).

When this happens, a chain reaction is created, one that when accumulated could result in massive cell damage. The Benefits of Super Antioxidants The job of super antioxidants is to hunt down free radicals but not to eliminate them. No. But to neutralize them so they'll stop their disease-causing rampaging.

Antioxidant support can be found in almost everything that we eat. More particularly, fresh fruits and vegetables are the richest sources of antioxidant support available. For instance, the antioxidant support Retinol or Vitamin A (or beta-carotene) are found in dark green, yellow, and orange vegetables and fruits.

In the study about antioxidant juice from pomegranates, researchers have found that the substance can effectively reverse the progression of atherosclerosis, or the hardening of the arteries. Atherosclerosis causes decreased blood flow that can lead to heart attacks or strokes. The tests showed that antioxidant juice from pomegranates reduced the effects of stress on human blood vessel cells by stimulating the production of nitric oxide.

Catechins are the natural antioxidants found in the Camellia sinensis plant where we get our green tea, oolong tea, and black tea. In the carotenoid group, beta-carotene is the most common natural antioxidant. Another name for beta-carotene is vitamin A, that essential vitamin that helps prevent eye damage.

The reason free radicals are highly unstable is that they have an unpaired electron which they try to recompense by stealing an electron from a stable molecule. This actually sets off a chain reaction that can damage the body's proteins and cell membranes, weaken the cell's natural defenses, and disrupt the cell's DNA.

Others may have nutrients with antioxidant properties, others may only have vitamins. But whatever the case, it is still quite clear that antioxidant fruits are good for the health. The human body derives its energy from the utilization of nutrients and oxygen as fuel. But oxygen, for all its benefits and positive effects, may also carry with it some negative ripple effect.

They have also been implicated in certain cell signaling processes. The two most important oxygen-centered free radicals are superoxide and hydroxyl radical. They are derived from molecular oxygen under reducing conditions, such as when a person breathes. However, because of their high reactivity, free radicals often participate in unwanted side reactions resulting in cell damage.

Prior and his colleagues used the most advanced technologies available to tabulate antioxidant levels in more than 100 different types of berry fruits, vegetables, nuts, and spices. The Top 20 list includes small red beans (dried), wild blueberry, red kidney beans, pinto beans, blueberry (cultivated), cranberry, artichokes (cooked), blackberry, prunes (dried plums), raspberry, strawberry, red delicious apples, Granny Smith apples, pecans, sweet cherries, black plums, russet potatoes (cooked), black beans (dried), plums, and gala apples.

Antioxidants block the process of oxidation by neutralizing free radicals. By neutralizing, they themselves become oxidized. For this reason, our bodies are always in need of a constant source of antioxidants. How antioxidants work is a two-way process. First is the chain-breaking. This is where the antioxidant comes in to break the chain reaction of free radicals turning other molecules into free radicals like them.

Prior, a USDA nutritionist and research chemist based in Little Rock, Ark explains that berry antioxidants were ranked according to their total antioxidant capacity. However, they were surprised to find that besides berry fruits, antioxidants may also come from the most unexpected foods as well. Prior and his colleagues used the most advanced technologies available to tabulate antioxidant levels in more than 100 different types of berry fruits, vegetables, nuts, and spices.

However, because of their high reactivity, free radicals often participate in unwanted side reactions resulting in cell damage. Many forms of cancer are thought to be the result of reactions between free radicals and DNA, resulting in mutations that can adversely affect the cell cycle and potentially lead to malignancy.

While it's quite true that there's nothing healthier than including fresh produce in your diet, there is actually another reason why doctors insist on a healthy diet of fresh fruits and vegetables. The answer may lie in antioxidant foods. Antioxidant foods are powerful scavengers of free radicals. The function of antioxidant foods is to hunt down free radicals and destroy them.

However, raspberries, cranberries, blueberries, and blackberries are also good antioxidant foods that are rich in proanthocyanidins which help prevent cancer and heart disease. Broccoli Another excellent antioxidant foods are green leafy vegetables. Your mom always say, "Eat your broccoli." Believe me, your mom is not out to torture you by making you eat veggies you hate.

Because atoms seek to reach a state of maximum stability, an atom will try to fill its shell with electrons by: Gaining or losing electrons to either fill or empty its outer shell Sharing its electrons by bonding together with other atoms in order to complete its outer shell Free Radicals: The Formation The free radicals are formed when weak bonds between atoms are split.

One of the studies shows that part of the dietary antioxidant qualities of honey has preservative properties that work on meat without compromising the taste. Based on a work done on human blood in the lab, a recently published study says that the dietary antioxidants present in honey slow the oxidation of low density lipoproteins (LDL).

Anti aging antioxidants are natural substances but our bodies cannot produce them by themselves. That is why, we depend on plants for our source of anti aging antioxidants. Human beings are only one of a few animal species who can't produce their own anti aging antioxidants. We get most of our anti aging antioxidants from the fresh fruits and vegetables that we eat.

Herbal antioxidants are of course found in fresh produce, fruits, and vegetables. A large number of members of the berry family are excellent sources of herbal antioxidants. In fact, most herbal antioxidants you find sold in health food stores today are comprised mainly of berry extracts. Studies have shown that berries are rich in certain herbal antioxidants that help reduce atherosclerosis by acting on the agents that causes the clogging and the hardening of the arteries.

In addition, they may also interrupt an oxidizing chain reaction to minimize the damage caused by free radicals. In sum, the main function of antioxidant enzymes is neutralizing free radicals. For the past decade, countless studies have been devoted to the beneficial effects of antioxidant enzymes. It has been found that a substantial link exists between free radicals and more than sixty different health conditions, including the aging process, cancer, and atherosclerosis.

"Our studies show that Activin is a more potent antioxidant than vitamins C, E, and beta-carotene - up to seven times more potent," Bagchi said when he reported the findings of their study at the Experimental Biology conference in New Orleans. "Activin is a powerful inhibitor of free radical induced lipid peroxidation and DNA fragmentation," Bagchi further explained.

This list of foods contained most of the very rich antioxidant foods as ranked by nutrition scientists at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and reported by the University of Alabama website on November 1, 2004. Wild blueberry was narrowly beaten out by the small red bean, which captured the red-blue medal.

The minute your body starts to process oxygen in order to produce energy is the first step to potentially developing a disease or starting the slow process of aging. It's normal and it is a part of life. Certainly, it can't be completely dispelled. It can however be controlled. Now, by "control", we don't mean controlling the process of oxidation itself, but controlling the outcome of it.

The cells will grow weak until they are eventually destroyed. Hence, diseases such as cardiovascular disease, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, senility, and cancer are often attributed to the contributing factor of free radicals. The Effects of Antioxidant Juice The only way for the body to defend itself from free radicals is through antioxidants.