Posts Tagged ‘free radicals’

25
Jan

Antioxidant Activity – No Free Ride For The Radicals

   Posted by: Fernanda    in Nutrition

We have all heard of antioxidants and how good they are for our health.  While it is true that antioxidants are good for our health, many of us don’t understand why?  Read along with me as I describe antioxidant activity, so that you can understand why it is essential for your good health. 

What is an Antioxidant?

Antioxidants are natural compounds; this means they are found in nature.  Antioxidants neutralize harmful free radicals.  What does this mean?  I will start by explaining what a free radical is, so you can comprehend antioxidant activity.  A Free radical is an atom or molecule, usually oxygen that is missing an electron (negatively charged particle).  This free radical is a highly reactive atom because it needs an electron to make it stable.

Where do Free Radicals come from?

Some free radicals are produced in your body by normal body processes such as metabolism.  Free radicals can be aggravated by stress. The more reactive and harmful free radicals are produced by many external factors including pollution, radiation and pesticides.

What do Free Radicals Do?

In your body, a free radical goes around looking for an electron and steals it from your cells.  This is damaging to your cells and if there are many free radicals in your body this will cause a great deal of harm and eventually lead to poor health.   Free radicals impair our immune system which can lead to infections, cancers and auto-immune diseases including Crohn’s, Multiple Sclerosis and Rheumatoid arthritis.  Free radicals are also responsible for degenerative diseases such as coronary heart disease and osteoarthritis.  Recent research has determined that free radicals are responsible for the aging process.

How do Antioxidants work?

Antioxidant activity is quite remarkable in that antioxidants give free radicals an electron that they so desperately need to become stable, meanwhile the antioxidants themselves remain stable.  Some antioxidants are generated in your body.  These antioxidants are called free radical scavengers, and as their name indicates they will travel inside your body neutralizing radicals as they come upon them.  Antioxidants are also found in a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables.  For a diet high in antioxidants some choices can include tomatoes, red peppers, berries (blackberries, strawberries, blueberries and cranberries) red grapes and pomegranate. 

When to Supplement with antioxidants?

Even though your body produces some antioxidants, and you get more from your diet, these are often not sufficient to neutralize the number of free radicals in your body.  As you age, your body becomes less efficient at producing its own antioxidants.  When your lifestyle does not provide enough antioxidants it is necessary for you to supplement with natural health products.  Vitamins A, C, and E have potent antioxidant activity. The supplement CoQ10 is an antioxidant that helps maintain cardiovascular health.  Melatonin, a hormone produced in your body that helps regulate your circadian clock, also has strong antioxidant activity. Melatonin has a great advantage over many other antioxidants because it can cross the blood brain barrier and eliminate free radicals found in your brain.

Do not allow free radicals to damage your cells leading to disease and the destruction of your body.   Keep your body healthy and be sure to supplement your diet with antioxidants.

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Imagine dinner out at your favorite fine dining restaurant.  The well-dressed waiter arrives at your table with the menus and while he is making you feel at home he asks if you would care to start with a beverage.  You reply “yes please, we’ll have a bottle of your finest purple – the purple concord”.

While most of you have seen the headlines declaring the health benefits of red wine, those of you who don’t like red wine will be happy to know that the benefits of grape juice are similar.  Those of you who do love red wine may simply enjoy a break at the cash register when buying grape juice instead of wine.  Purple grape juice contains the same powerful disease-fighting antioxidants, called flavonoids, which protect heart health. The benefits of grape juice may be due to a substance called resveratrol found in the skins and seeds of grapes and especially in dark purple concord grapes.

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that purple grape juice helped protect heart health in those affected by coronary artery disease. Two weeks of grape juice therapy increased vasodilation (relaxed the blood vessels) and decreased harmful oxidation of LDL cholesterol. Grape juice also lowered the risk of developing blood clots that can lead to heart attacks.  Previous studies had all focused on red wine rather than on grape juice which led many to believe that it is the alcohol content in red wine that has these benefits.  This study demonstrated that the flavonoid components are the true heroes in the benefits of grape juice.

Purple grape juice works the same way red wine does. They both stimulate nitric oxide in the lining of the arteries and this encourages blood vessel flexibility. The flavonoid antioxidants slow down oxidation of LDL cholesterol or “bad” cholesterol in the arteries resulting in clear, healthier arteries.

For all you red wine lovers, I’ve got some sad news!!! Ounce for ounce purple grape juice outweighs red wine in the benefit department.

  • The antioxidants of grape juice linger in the body longer than do those of red wine and this is because the alcohol in the red wine speeds up the breakdown of the antioxidant in the blood.
  • Alcohol generates free radicals, unstable molecules that cause damage to cells, which counteract the effect of the antioxidants in red wine
  • Red wine is only helpful when consumed in moderation of no more than one drink a day for women and two drinks daily for men.

For all of you red wine drinkers, cheer up!!! Red wine has one advantage that grape juice does not.  Alcohol has been shown to increase levels of HDL, the good cholesterol, in the blood. So continue to enjoy your daily glass of wine.  Besides, it’s quite likely you won’t find Purple Concord listed on the beverage menu!

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