Do You Know What Is Meant by Antioxidants?

Antioxidants are term for substances that serve to protect the body from free radical attack. Belonging to these substances are vitamin, polyphenol, carotene, and minerals. These substances have important role in human’s body to prevent diseases. Antioxidants do by suppressing the cellular damage caused by free radical oxidation process.

Then, what is meant by free radical?
Free radicals are actually derives from molecular oxygen which is chemically changed its structure as a result of environment activities. Environmental activities that may create free radicals come from radiation, pollution, smoking, and so forth. Free radicals circulating in the body attempts to steal electrons present in other molecules such as DNA and cells. This theft; if successful, will damage cells and DNA. Imagine that if free radicals circulate in the body, there will be many damaged cells. Then, the damage lead cells to become unstable which potentially create aging and cancer.

How antioxidants fight free radicals?
Antioxidants stop the destruction of the cell by giving electrons to free radicals. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals so that free radicals have no ability to steal electrons from cell and DNA. Actually, the processes are very complex but it can simply be described as such.

What diseases related to free radicals?
Several degenerative diseases closely related to free radicals are cancer, heart, vascular diseases, dementia, cataracts, and decreased cognitive functions. The process of premature aging is also associates with free radicals. Antioxidants are believed to be able to prevent some of these diseases.

What are the sources of antioxidants?
Antioxidants can easily be found in the food. Unfortunately, many people do not understand that these foods actually contain lots of antioxidants so that they buy antioxidant supplements which are quite expensive. Some of them are:
 Vitamin A: carrots, broccoli, green vegetables, spinach, pumpkin, liver, potatoes, eggs, apricots, mango, milk, and fish.
 Vitamin C: pepper, cayenne, parsley, guava, kiwi, broccoli, sprouts, persimmon, papaya, strawberry, orange, tomato, and pineapple.
 Vitamin E: asparagus, avocado, olives, spinach, nuts, grains, oilseeds, and cereals.
 Carotene: beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, carrots, squash, green vegetables, red fruits, tomato, and seaweed.
 Polyphenol: berries, tea, beer, wine, olive oil, chocolate, coffee, walnut, peanut, fruit peel, pomegranate, and wine.

Now you have already known that the foods we eat everyday actually contain antioxidants that is necessary to prevent diseases caused by free radicals. So, have you eaten today?