Every day consumers are bombarded with dire warnings about their health. They are urged to buy a host of supplements that will help reduce their risk for contracting heart disease, cancer, asthma and a host of other scary conditions. Among many other modern phrases, more and more people want to know exactly what is an antioxidant. It seems that this is a key to good health.
No living organism can survive without oxygen. Oxygen plays a vital role in providing the body with the ability to metabolize, thus providing energy that is essential for existence. However, oxygen can have a dangerous side. Because it is highly reactive, it can easily become part of molecules that are damaging and that may lead to disease. These damaging molecules are called free radicals.
The human body has billions of cells. A molecular bond sees to it that the cells are held together, but if the bond becomes weak, the molecules can split apart. In the process, free radicals are created. Free radicals are unstable molecules that miss an electron. This happens during extreme exercise, during times of stress, and when the body is exposed to pollution and certain medicinal drugs.
Unfortunately, free radicals try to compensate for the missing electron by attacking healthy cells, and in this way a chain reaction is created when the cell that was attacked loses an electron. A new free radical is created and the process repeats itself over and over again. In this way millions of molecules can be destroyed. In humans, this can lead to a host of diseases such as cancer, arthritis and heart disease, to name just a few.
Fortunately, there is a solution to the problem. Antioxidants are miracle workers that will remain stable whether they have an extra electron or not. This means that they are able to donate an electron to a free radical without perpetuating the chain reaction by becoming a free radical after losing an electron. In this way the free radicals can be neutralized and the process of destruction stopped.
There are many foods that are rich in this miracle substance. Not all foods contain the same level, however. Tomatoes, all types of berries, green vegetables, beans, broccoli and prunes are just a few foods that contain high levels. The potency of the various foods to absorb free radicals is measured on the ORAC scale. Tomatoes, for example, enjoy a score of sixty while cherries score a hundred points, making the latter more powerful.
Health experts and dieticians advise that everybody should try and consume more foods that are able to neutralize free radicals. Natural foods, preferably fresh, is considered to be more valuable to supplements in the form of tablets or syrups. This body produces this substance necessary but because food is so highly processed it cannot produce enough. Pollution and high levels of stress also makes it difficult for the body to cope.
The most useful answer to the question on what is an antioxidant is perhaps that it is something everybody needs to consume every single day in order to stay healthy. Rampaging chains of free radicals can cause disease but small lifestyle changes can also go a long way in helping to prevent health problems. Food rich in this substance also hold many other positive advantages.
No living organism can survive without oxygen. Oxygen plays a vital role in providing the body with the ability to metabolize, thus providing energy that is essential for existence. However, oxygen can have a dangerous side. Because it is highly reactive, it can easily become part of molecules that are damaging and that may lead to disease. These damaging molecules are called free radicals.
The human body has billions of cells. A molecular bond sees to it that the cells are held together, but if the bond becomes weak, the molecules can split apart. In the process, free radicals are created. Free radicals are unstable molecules that miss an electron. This happens during extreme exercise, during times of stress, and when the body is exposed to pollution and certain medicinal drugs.
Unfortunately, free radicals try to compensate for the missing electron by attacking healthy cells, and in this way a chain reaction is created when the cell that was attacked loses an electron. A new free radical is created and the process repeats itself over and over again. In this way millions of molecules can be destroyed. In humans, this can lead to a host of diseases such as cancer, arthritis and heart disease, to name just a few.
Fortunately, there is a solution to the problem. Antioxidants are miracle workers that will remain stable whether they have an extra electron or not. This means that they are able to donate an electron to a free radical without perpetuating the chain reaction by becoming a free radical after losing an electron. In this way the free radicals can be neutralized and the process of destruction stopped.
There are many foods that are rich in this miracle substance. Not all foods contain the same level, however. Tomatoes, all types of berries, green vegetables, beans, broccoli and prunes are just a few foods that contain high levels. The potency of the various foods to absorb free radicals is measured on the ORAC scale. Tomatoes, for example, enjoy a score of sixty while cherries score a hundred points, making the latter more powerful.
Health experts and dieticians advise that everybody should try and consume more foods that are able to neutralize free radicals. Natural foods, preferably fresh, is considered to be more valuable to supplements in the form of tablets or syrups. This body produces this substance necessary but because food is so highly processed it cannot produce enough. Pollution and high levels of stress also makes it difficult for the body to cope.
The most useful answer to the question on what is an antioxidant is perhaps that it is something everybody needs to consume every single day in order to stay healthy. Rampaging chains of free radicals can cause disease but small lifestyle changes can also go a long way in helping to prevent health problems. Food rich in this substance also hold many other positive advantages.
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