The health benefits of antioxidants

Recent research on antioxidant supplementation has yielded conflicting results. But there is no doubt about one thing — eating a diet high in antioxidant-rich foods is a smart choice. There are hundreds of studies linking antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables to a lower risk of heart disease, cancer, and many other illnesses. The following information will tell you more.

Why is eating fruits and vegetables so healthy? Is eating healthy due to some specific compounds found in plant products or some special combination of nutrients? Or is it that people who eat lots of fruits and vegetables eat less meat, or that in general they consume fewer calories? In any case, the antioxidant theory merits investigation.

Just as a burning fire needs oxygen, every cell in our body needs a steady supply of oxygen to derive energy from digested food. But consuming oxygen comes with a price; it also generates free radicals, unstable molecules that can damage healthy cells. Free radicals are highly reactive because they contain an unpaired electron, and electrons prefer to pair up. So these free radicals search for a molecule from which they can steal an electron.

The molecular victim then goes in search of an electron to satisfy its deficiency and sets off a chain reaction in the body that results in the creation of more free radicals. A molecule that has lost electrons in this manner is said to have been "oxidized."

Although all healthy cells produce small amounts of free radicals, there are a variety of other factors that can promote free-radical formation in the human body, such as radiation (including X-rays), cigarette smoke, alcohol, and environmental pollutants. Excessive free radicals can damage DNA and other genetic material.

The body's immune system seeks out and destroys these mutated cells, in much the same way as it eliminates invading bacteria and other foreign organisms. This mechanism declines with age, how­ever, and the body becomes more vulnerable to free-radical damage. Antioxidants are molecules that interact with and stabilize free radicals, preventing the damage they might cause.

Researchers have identified hundreds of antioxidants in our foods, including: vitamins C and E; selenium; and carotenoids, such as beta carotene and lycopene. There are numerous other phytochemicals (chemicals derived from plants), such as the celebrated polyphenols in tea and wine that have antioxidant properties. Over time, without the neutralizing action of antioxidants, the damage free radicals cause to cells can become irreversible, leading to cancer.

Antioxidants also help prevent heart disease by hindering oxidation of LDL (low-density lipoprotein), the harmful cholesterol. It is actually oxidized cholesterol that damages arteries. There are hundreds of studies linking antioxidant-rich diets to a lower risk of both cancer and heart disease, as well as other degenerative diseases.