Healthy Choices

What is an Antioxidant?

An antioxidant is basically something that reverses the effects of oxidation. Although oxygen is a vital nutrient needed by every cell in the body every second of the day, it is also chemically reactive and highly dangerous. In normal biochemical reactions oxygen can become unstable and capable of oxidising neighbouring molecules. This can lead to cellular damage which in turn triggers cancer, inflammation, arterial damage and ageing. Any chemical that is capable of disarming these free radicals is termed an antioxidant.

The main antioxidants include vitamins A, C and E, beta carotene, selenium, glutathione and bioflavanoids. These vitamins and minerals tend to work synergistically in the body and are best taken as an antioxidant supplement for the best result.

The balance between your intake of antioxidants and your free radical damage can be crucial. You can make some significant changes to your dietary habits to reduce the oxidation as well as eating natural foods with high antioxidant properties.

A diet high in fruit and vegetables is very important as this will provide plenty of vitamin C and beta carotene. Vitamin C is water soluble and acts as a roaming scavenger and occurs in high concentrations in the brain, lungs and adrenal glands. Vitamins A and E are fat soluble and provide the main antioxidant protection within the cell wall. Vitamin A is found in organ meats, fish, eggs and dairy products, whereas vitamin E is found in nuts, seeds and unrefined vegetable oils.

Glutathione has been termed the body’s master antioxidant and detoxifier. It is manufactured inside the cell from its precursor amino acids, glycine, glutamate and cystine. Natural foods that boost glutathione levels include asparagus, broccoli, avocado and spinach. Raw eggs, garlic and fresh unprocessed meats contain high levels of sulphur containing amino acids that help to maintain optimal glutathione levels

Selenium is a trace mineral and is found mainly in plant foods and also in some meats and seafood. It is required in small amounts to enhance antioxidant activity and prevent cellular damage from free radicals. The selenium content of foods is wholly dependant on the selenium content of the soil in which the plant was grown. Or where the animals where raised. In the UK the soil in Norfolk is know to be rich in selenium whereas in the USA northern Nebraska and the Dakotas have a high level of selenium.

Bioflavanoids belong to the polyphenol family. They are the antioxidants that are found in foods such as fruit, vegetables, soy products, green tea and red wine. They are thought to be responsible for the antioxidant protection of body fluids and they may be able to help to reduce the risk of degenerative diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

Including these antioxidant rich foods in your dietary regime is a wonderful way of ensuring that your body has the protection it needs from the daily attacks that can result in free oxidising radical damage. Because of the modern ways of living it is virtually impossible to avoid the causes of oxidative damage, but we can take steps to ensure that the damage is limited.

Ref
The Glutathione Report –Priya Shah – July 2004

Patrick Holford’s 100% Health 7DD

Janet L. Matthews
Skype ID: lindajanetmatthews

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 14th, 2009 at 11:00 am and is filed under Antioxidant. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.