Why Are Antioxidants Vital 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 significant cellular structures such as DNA and cell membranes?  Well, it is true and this damage may cause cells to function poorly and mutate.  Free radical damage may lead to disease and aging. 

We are exposed to giant amounts of free radicals from pollution, and insecticides.  Each time you breathe, you’re taking in millions of free radical molecules made by cig smoke, radiation, and car 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 immune system creates antioxidants which can neutralise free radicals and prevent much cellular damage.  We also need antioxidants from alternative sources such as fruits, veggies, nuts, grains, some meat, chickens and fish. 

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

There has been much talk about antioxidants stopping heart problems which is so lethal that it leads to a mean of one death every 34 seconds.  The American Heart Association asserts, ?Oxidation of low-density lipoprotein ( LDL or “bad” ) cholesterol is important in the development of greasy buildups in the arteries.  This process, called atherosclerosis ( ath”er-o-skleh-RO’sis ), can lead to heart attacks and strokes.  Enlarging evidence proves that LDL cholesterol lipoprotein oxidation and its biological effects can be stopped by employing antioxidants — both in the diet and in supplements.?  In 1993, Harvard school analysts reported that supplemental batches of vitamin E essentially reduced the risk of coronary disease by as much as 54 percent! 

And what effects can antioxidants have on the big ?C?  Word?  This is a question that each one of us are dying to understand since one Yankee in every 3 living today will get cancer, and one in four will expire from it.  The nation’s Cancer Institute announces, ?Considerable laboratory proof from chemical, cell culture, and animal studies reveals that antioxidants may slow or possibly stop the development of cancer.  However, information from recent clinical trials 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, said “If each lady in America began taking selenium additions or had a high-selenium diet, then within a few years the breast cancer rate in this country would drastically decline.  And according to a study by Dr.  Larry Clark of the school of Arizona, two hundred micrograms daily of selenium cut the rate of prostate trouble by 69% and lung cancer by 34%. 

So obviously antioxidants are important for all of us to brace and protect our immune systems 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 in a position to slow aging.  This concept is sophisticated in one California study of folk aged 50 or older, where it was discovered that those “…  With a higher intake of vitamin C were discovered to possess a total rate of mortality only 40% of that for those with the lower intake of C …  This decrease in the rate of mortality corresponds to an increase by eleven years in the length of life.” Even little quantities of vitamin C can be useful.  According to one UCLA study only three hundred milligrams a day can add six years to a man’s life and 2 years to a girl’s life. 

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