Antioxidants 101

To really understand what Antioxidants really are and why they are beneficial to our health, we first need to understand Free Radicals.

Free Radicals are atoms or groups of atoms that contain one or more missing electron particles.  Through normal body functions, a small amount of free radicals are normally present in our bodies.  Under normal circumstances the body can keep free radicals in check, however if there is excessive free radical formation in the body, damage to cells and tissue can occur.  A free radical may only exist for a tiny fraction of one second, but the damage it can cause to the cells around it can be irreversable, especially when it comes to heart muscle cells, nerve cells and our immune system.

Free Radicals may be formed in the body as a result of exposure to radiation, such as from the sun or medical x-rays, or from exposure to pollutants such as tobacco smoke or automobile exhaust.  The polluted environment we live in today serves to create more free radicals than we would have been exposed to just a few decades ago.  Diet can also contribute to the formation of free radicals such as for example consuming foods that have been fried in oils.  Exercise such as weight training or jogging may also create free radicals in the body.

The biggest challenge with free radicals is that when they attack your cells, the resulting mess they leave behind creates even more free radicals which sets off a chain reaction that is difficult for the body to deal with.

Enter the Anti-Oxidant

To protect itself from the harful effects of free radicals, the body utilizes natural compounds called anti-oxidants to neutralize them.  Although antioxidants can be found in whole food sources such as sprouted grains, fruits and vegetables, it is very difficult to get enough anti-oxidants through diet alone.  Taking an antioxidant supplement can minimize the damage of free radicals on your body.  High intakes of antioxidant nutrients appears to be especially protective against cancer.

Antioxidants come in many forms and each type of antioxidant provides health benefits to different parts of the body.  Here is a brief list of some of the sources of antioxidants:

• Alpha-Lipoic Acid
• Bilberry
• Burdock
• Carotenoids
• Coenzyme Q10
• Curcumin
• Falvonoids
• Garlic
• Ginko Biloba
• Gluathione
• Grape Seed Extract
• Green Tea
• Melatonin
• Methionine
• N-Acetylcysteine (NAC)
• Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NADH)
• Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins
• Pycogenol
• Selenium
• Silymarin
• Superoxide Dismutase
• Vitamin A and the Carotenoids
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Zinc

Another recently discovered food that contains one of the richest sources of antioxidants is the Acai Berry.  However, although it would be tempting to simply supplement your diet with one type of convenient and easy to take antioxidant such as Vitamin C, the challenge is that the body needs more than just one type of antioxidant to protect it.  The antioxidants listed above work synergistically to provide the body protection from free radicals.

As such it is imperative that we don’t focus simply on one type of antioxidant.  Instead we should choose supplement products that provide a combination of different types of nutrients and antioxidants for maximum health benefits.