Free radicals are actually atoms or groups of atoms having an odd (or unpaired) number of electrons and are formed on the interaction of oxygen with certain molecules. Once formed, they begin a chain reaction and being highly reactive, react with important cellular components such as the cell membrane or DNA and can cause immense damage. This may cause the cells to function poorly or die. To prevent the damage caused by free radicals there is a defence system of antioxidants in the body.
Antioxidants are also molecules that safely react with free radicals and terminate the chain reaction before vital cellular components are damaged. Vitamin E, vitamin C and beta-carotene are the principle micronutrients that restrict the free radicals from reacting and causing damage.
Selenium, a trace metal required for the functioning of one the antioxidant enzyme systems body is sometimes also included in this category. These micronutrients have to be supplied to the body through the diet as it is not manufactured by the body.
Vitamin E: This is a fat soluble vitamin and is present in seeds, nuts, fish oils, vegetables, whole grains (especially wheat), apricots and fortified cereals. The current recommended daily allowance or RDA is 12 IU per day for women and 15 IU per day for men.
Vitamin C: Vitamin C or Ascorbic acid is a vitamin that is water soluble and is present in juices and citrus fruits, cabbage, spinach, green peppers, broccoli, cantaloupe, kale, kiwi and strawberries. 60 mg is the RDA per day. Intake of more than 2000 mg of this vitamin may have adverse side effects.
Beta-carotene is vitamin A's precursor (retinol) and is present in egg yolk, liver, butter, milk, carrots, spinach, broccoli, squash, yams, peaches, tomato, cantaloupe, and grains. On account of it being converted to vitamin A there is no specific requirement in the body. The RDA is expressed as retinol equivalents (RE). Vitamin A does not have any antioxidant properties and can be toxic if taken in excess.
Preventing heart disease and cancer - how do antioxidants help?
Epidemiologic observations demonstrate lower rates of cancer in people having diets that are rich in vegetables and fruits. Because of this fact, a theory developed stating that these foods contained certain substances that acted against the development of cancer, but there is no scientific evidence to prove this fact.
Thus some studies and research reveal that dietary supplements along with increased level of antioxidants reduce the risk of developing cancer. Antioxidants may have a role top plat in slowing process of aging and preventing strokes, and heart disease but this is still not conclusive.
Exercise and oxidative damage
Exercise increases oxygen utilization 10 to 20 times more than in the resting state. This increases the generation of free radicals greatly which then prompts concerns about damage to tissues and muscles. The question that now arises is that how effectively can athletes defend their bodies against the increased free radicals that result from exercise? Do they require taking extra antioxidants?
Since it is not possible to measure the amount of free radicals in the body physically; this can be done by measuring the by-products resulting from free radical reactions. If the free radicals exceed the antioxidant defense mechanisms of the body then there would be more by-products. Athletes are seen to perform these measurements to enable derive at the free radical amount.
These experimental studies have revealed certain facts that regular physical exercise enhances the antioxidant defense system of the body and protects it against intense exercise induced free radical damage. This is a vital finding because it illustrates the smartness of the body in adapting to the exercise demands.
On the contrary, intense exercise patterns among untrained individuals induce damage to antioxidant defenses resulting in enhanced free radical damage.
Riboflavin, also known as vitamin B2, is an important member of the water soluble B complex of vitamins and has of course been well known as an essential nutrient for many years, hence its popularity as a fortifying agent in commercially produced breakfast cereals and breads etc. But in the current craze for tracking down new anti-oxidant "superfoods" it's easy to overlook the more familiar, but nonetheless vital, nutrients such as the B complex vitamins.Riboflavin, for example, is essential for the body's production of certain enzymes, known as flavocoenzymes, which are needed for the production of energy through the metabolism of the proteins, fats and carbohydrates consumed in the diet. Flavocoenzymes are important in the breaking down and the using or neutralising of chemicals, including drugs and toxins within the body, and it has also been noted that they are a precursor of the specialised proteins needed for the proper functioning of the brain cell mitochondria.Impaired oxygen metabolism within these mitochondria has been identified as a possible cause of migraine headaches, Although tested on only a small sample of patients, supplementation with high levels (400 mg) of riboflavin has been duly found to have significant effects in reducing the frequency of migraine attacks when continued over a three month period. Despite the limited scope of the research so far, orthodox medicine regards riboflavin as worthy of further investigation for use in conjunction with conventional drug therapies.Riboflavin is also important as an anti-oxidant in enabling the proper functioning of glutathione, the crucial anti-oxidant enzyme. Glutathione is needed to neutralise the hydrogen peroxide which is released as a by-product of normal metabolic reactions within the body. Left unchecked hydrogen peroxide can interact with other free radicals to produce hydroxyl, the most damaging of all. Glutathione is particularly important in protecting the delicate fatty structures, eg the membranes, of every cell in the body.Although anti-oxidants are required to protect every cell in the body, particular attention has been focussed on their role in the lens of the eye, where light induced oxidative damage has been found to be a risk factor for the development of cataracts, one of the most significant causes of vision loss in the elderly.Measuring by reference to glutathione activity, research has suggested that individuals in the highest quintile of riboflavin levels may have only around half the risk of developing cataracts as those in the lowest quintile.In addition to facilitating the action of the fat soluble glutathione, riboflavin is also essential for the body's manufacture of another enzyme, xanthine oxidase, which is needed for the formation of uric acid, one of the most powerful water soluble anti-oxidants.In common with all the vitamins of the B complex, a deficiency in riboflavin is likely to be associated with, and to cause, a deficiency in each of the others. Deficiency in riboflavin, however, has also been particularly associated with problems in the absorption of iron, and consequent anaemia and lowered immune system function.
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