How Antioxidants Work



Your body naturally produces highly unstable chemical substances called free radicals. Free radicals are a normal part of life and are a direct result of the process of oxidation.

With every breath you take, your body goes through the oxidation process and releases free radicals into your cells. Usually, the your body's natural defense systems neutralize the free radicals that develop and renders them harmless.

The job of antioxidants is to neutralize these free radicals and keep them from causing destruction to the cells.

However, environmental assaults such as UV-radiation, pollutants and alcohol, can overpower your body's ability to neutralize free radicals. This allows them to cause damage to the structure and function of your body's cells.

Scientists believe it's the accumulation of free radicals that leads to aging and a host of other illnesses, including cancer and heart disease.

Antioxidant Food Source - Your Body's Source of Defense

Through consumption of antioxidant food source, you can help your body provide for itself the tools necessary to neutralize harmful free radicals.

Research shows there are more than 4,000 compounds in antioxidant food sources that have the same function as antioxidants. The most studied antioxidant food sources are those that are rich in vitamins C and E, beta carotene and the mineral selenium.

When it comes to finding more antioxidant food sources, many people turn to supplements. However, the results of studies conducted on the benefits of antioxidant food source supplements are ambiguous. Doctors still advise that you find your antioxidant food source from your diet.

Since the best antioxidant food sources are fruits and vegetables, the best place to find antioxidant food sources is the produce section, the frozen fruit and vegetable section, and the whole grains section of your supermarket.

Vitamin C, for example, is most commonly found in such antioxidant food sources as citrus fruits, grapes, broccoli, peppers, raw cabbage, potatoes, strawberries, and green leafy vegetables.

The top antioxidant food sources for Vitamin E are wheat germ, nuts, seeds, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, vegetable oil, and fish-liver oil.