When our bodies use oxygen, the cells produce free radicals
that cause damage to the body's cellular make-up.
Antioxidants are attracted to free radicals and basically
will neutralize them.
Many of today's health problems such as cancer, heart
disease, diabetes, macular degeneration and others, can be
directly attributed to oxidative damage caused by free
radicals ravaging the body. This is not only a theory, the
role the antioxidants plays in neutralizing free radicals
is well documented in medical journals as far back as the
1950s.
When we are young, the body seems to be blessed and can
generally maintain at peek efficiency. By the time we reach
the age of twenty five, the disease of aging begins. As the
aging process slowly progresses, our bodies begin to need
more assistance to stay in shape. We don't feel this aging
process actually happening because this actually begins
happening at the cellular level of our bodies. In time, the
muscle tissue gets less substantial, the bones start
becoming more brittle and our immune system is compromised.
When our immune system becomes compromised, we are more
prone to infection and disease. Why do our bodies begin
breaking down at the cellular level? The main culprit is
free radicals. Without enough antioxidants in our bodies to
counter the free radicals, they slowly create the oxidative
damage that leaves us open to the opportunistic diseases,
such as cancer, diabetes, Parkinson's disease and many
others.
A little more than fifty years ago, scientists found that
heart disease, cancer, strokes, diabetes, cataracts,
arthritis and many neuro-degenerative diseases were linked
to the destruction caused by free radicals.
Free radicals are formed when weak bonds within a molecule
split. These free radicals are highly unstable that attack
and capture the closest molecule electron. After this
happens, that molecule having lost it's electron, turns
into a free radical and the whole process keeps recycling
as a chain reaction. Left unchecked, free radicals create
molecular chains that breakdown the bodies ability to
regenerate properly. Because antioxidants neutralize the
free radicals, keeping enough antioxidants active within
the body is paramount.
Antioxidants can naturally be found in many varieties of
food sources. There are over 4,000 compounds in foods that
have antioxidants. Some of the food rich sources are kidney
and pinto beans, blueberries, cranberries, artichoke,
blackberries, raspberries, prunes, strawberries, apples,
pecans, sweet cherries, plums, russet potatoes and many
more.
Also, vitamin A, C and E, the mineral selenium and
betacarotene are rich in antioxidants. The non-nutrient
antioxidants that come from pytochemicals, lycopenes in
tomatoes, athocyanins in cranberries that are believed to
have greater effects at fighting free radicals than either
vitamins or minerals. Many supplemental vitamins can be
purchased through the health and wellness industry.
Many of the experts in health and nutrition all agree that
as we get older, we need more antioxidant rich foods in our
daily diets to fight off the free radicals from
compromising our body and immune system. It is also widely
believed that certain antioxidants also aid in slowly down
the aging process. Could it be that free radicals play an
important role in the aging process itself?
Although nutritionists in the health field have been
acknowledging the benefits of antioxidants for several
decades, it has only been recently that the medical field
has discovered scientific evidence that backs up the role
that antioxidants do play in our health.
Today, many medical scientists worldwide are finding strong
evidence that antioxidants to play a very large role in the
anti-aging process. Many of the degenerative effects of
aging can be countered by a combination of nutrients. One
of those key nutrients found to be most effective in
combating the disease of aging itself is antioxidants.
How much antioxidants do we need in our diet? How much is a
recommended daily allowance? To date there is no medical
agency within the U.S. that has a set guideline concerning
antioxidants in our diet. A few agencies generically
recommend 5 servings a day of fruit and vegetables that are
rich in antioxidants.
How much is too much? Again, no one medical agency seems to
have a figure on this. You could say the jury is still out.
Although the medical field agrees on the role that
antioxidants play in maintaining our healthy bodies, they
do not necessarily agree on how much we should need.
There are some within the health and wellness field that
believe we need a lot more antioxidants in our bodies than
just consuming from natural sources. There are many
nutritional, supplemental vitamins on the market today that
provide the healthy antioxidants our body needs to
effectively fight off free radicals.
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Ron Godlewski has written many articles on health,
wellness, and maintaining vitality throughout our lifetime.
Read more about the importance of nutrition and the many
benefits of vitamins in our daily diets in the article
library at http://www.pillfreesupplements.com and even
receive your own complementary copy of a nationally
recognized health and nutrition magazine for just visiting!
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