How essential are antioxidants for you?

Image courtesy of https://greenblender.com

It is very common to hear about foods that are good for your brain, your heart and your gut. But what about foods that protect the cells in your body? Those would be the ones packed with antioxidants. Antioxidants is thrown about like a buzzword to sound hip and smart when it comes to food, but i’d wager most people don’t know what they actually do for you. Well have no fear, in this article i’ll be going through and simplifying what antioxidants are, what they do and how they are beneficial for you.

Antioxidants occur naturally in plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, coffee, tea, wine, and chocolate. There are thousands of antioxidant compounds out there, you’ve probably heard of flavanols (found in chocolate), resveratrol (found in wine), and lycopene (found in tomatoes). Other popular antioxidants include vitamins A (beta-carotene), C, E, and catechins [1].

Antioxidants help prevent or stop cell damage caused by oxidants. (Get it? Antioxidants) “Oxidants are free radicals that you find in the environment, but they're also produced naturally in your body,” says Diane McKay, Ph.D., an assistant professor and researcher at Tufts University’s Antioxidants Research Laboratory [1].

Every single one of us has both antioxidants and free radicals present inside of our bodies at all times. Some antioxidants are made from the body itself, while we must get others from our diets by eating high antioxidant foods that double as anti-inflammatory foods. Our bodies also produce free radicals as byproducts of cellular reactions. For example, the liver produces and uses free radicals to detoxify the body, while white blood cells send free radicals to destroy bacteria, viruses and damaged cells [2].

When certain types of oxygen molecules are allowed to travel freely in the body, they cause what’s known as oxidative damage, which is the formation of free radicals. When antioxidant levels in the body are lower than that of free radicals due to poor nutrition, toxin exposure or other factors. Oxidation wreaks havoc in the body. The effect? Accelerated aging, damaged or mutated cells, broken-down tissue, the activation of harmful genes within DNA, and an overloaded immune system [2].

There are a wide range of antioxidants found in nature, and because they are so varied, different antioxidants provide benefits to different parts of the body. For example, beta-carotene (and other carotenoids) is very beneficial to eye health; lycopene is beneficial for helping maintain prostate health; flavonoids are especially beneficial for heart health; and proanthocyanidins are beneficial for urinary tract health [3].

When skin is exposed to high levels of ultraviolet light, photo-oxidative damage is induced by the formation of different types of reactive species of oxygen, including singlet oxygen, superoxide radicals, and peroxide radicals. These forms of reactive oxygen damage cellular lipids, proteins, and DNA, and they are considered to be the primary contributors to erythema (sunburn), premature aging of the skin, photodermatoses, and skin cancers [3].

Astaxanthin, followed by beta-carotene combined with vitamin E has been shown to be one of the most powerful antioxidant combinations for helping protect the skin from reactive species of oxygen [3].

Increasing one's antioxidant intake is essential for optimum health, especially in today's polluted world. Because the body just can't keep up with antioxidant production, a good amount of these vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and enzymes must come from one's daily diet. Boosting your antioxidant intake can help provide added protection for the body against [3]:

• Heart problems
  
• Eye problems
  
• Memory problems
  
• Mood disorders
  
• Immune system problems
  

From a nutritional perspective, there are many different foods that can provide different antioxidants to varying different degrees and dosage levels. As a good broad guidance, here are a list of my favourite ones and the uses they have [4]:

1. Blueberries - Don’t let these little berries fool you, they rank number 1 in antioxidants. Just one cup has 13,427 total antioxidants – vitamins A & C, plus flavonoids (a type of antioxidant) like quercetin and anthocyanidin. That’s about 10 times the USDA’s recommendation, in just one cup!
   
2. Strawberries - For another berry rich in antioxidant power, strawberries are an excellent choice. These berries are another one of the most highly concentrated antioxidant fruits. The antioxidants found in strawberries have been shown to fight carcinogens and LDL, cholesterol that is known to cause heart disease. Strawberries contain, anthocyanins, the antioxidants that protect against cardiovascular diseases. They are also a great source of vitamin C, which protects your body’s cells from free radical damage.
   
3. Plums - For the highest antioxidant plums, choose black plums! These are richest in vitamin C and phenols, an antioxidant known to prevent swelling and tissue inflammation, as well as the ability to guard against DNA damage and cell deterioration.
   
4. Oranges - These sweet snacks are abundant in Vitamin C, the primary water-soluble antioxidant in the body, disarming free radicals and preventing damage to your cells. Vitamin C keeps our immune system in tip-top shape, preventing colds as well as ear infections.
   
5. Grapes - When seeking the optimum antioxidant benefits, go for the red ones! The skin of red grapes is a particularly rich source of an antioxidant called resveratrol, an antioxidant known to fight cancer. It has been known to keep cancer from beginning or spreading.
   
6. Cherries - Cherries have been touted as the new wonder fruit, and based on their antioxidant content we can see why! Cherries are rich in the flavonoids, isoqueritrin and queritrin, which act as antioxidants and work to eliminate byproducts of oxidative stress, therefore slowing down the aging process. Cherries are also loaded with Queritrin, a flavonoid believed to be one of the most potent anticancer agents.
   
7. Mangoes - Mangoes offer an excellent source of Vitamin A and flavonoids like beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin. Together; these compounds have been known to have antioxidant properties and are helpful in maintaining a healthy vision as well as glowing and radiant skin.
   
8. Kale - Kale contains 45 different flavanoids with a variety of antioxidant capacities. Two of the most abundant antioxidant sources in kale are quercetin and kaempferol. Both of these compounds are believed to be what causes kale’s cancer-preventing abilities.
   
9. Spinach - Spinach is one of the richest sources of antioxidants, with one cup containing over 3,600 IU of beta-carotene, which is an antioxidant known for its anti-cancer, anti-aging properties, and heart protecting properties. Spinach also offers an abundance of the antioxidant, lutein, which is beneficial in protecting your eyes from macular degeneration and cataracts.
   
10. Broccoli - Of all the cruciferous vegetables, broccoli stands out as the most concentrated source of vitamin C, plus it possesses the flavonoids necessary for vitamin C to recycle effectively. Also concentrated in broccoli are the carotenoids lutein, zeaxanthin and beta-carotene. But, the antioxidant which is the real standout in broccoli is indole-3-carbinol, a powerful antioxidant compound and anti-carcinogen found to not only hinder the growth of breast, cervical and prostate cancer, but also has been shown to boost liver function.
    

That is a very basic list, the amount of foods that have antioxidant properties goes into the hundreds. Your diet should consist of various different colours of foods and also contain a good mix of protein, fats and carbohydrates.

If you feel you could benefit from guidance on adequate antioxidant intake or require nutritional support and how to live a balanced lifestyle please contact me at habs@urbanplatehealth.com or visit my website by going to www.urbanplatehealth.com


References

1. What Are Antioxidants, Really? - https://greatist.com/health/what-are-antioxidants
   
2. Top 10 High Antioxidant Foods - https://draxe.com/top-10-high-antioxidant-foods/
   
3. Benefits of Antioxidants - http://www.nutrex-hawaii.com/benefits-of-antioxidants
   
4. 10 Antioxidant-Rich Fruits and Vegetables - https://greenblender.com/smoothies/1711/top-antioxidant-rich-fruits-and-vegetables​
   

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