How Antioxidants Benefit Us

One of the terms in relation to health that’s being thrown around a lot in these modern times is ‘antioxidant.’ Despite its popularity, however, not a lot of people actually know its real benefits, let alone what it is. What some people know is we can get it from readily available sources like tea, red wine, and even dark chocolate. But that’s about how limited their knowledge is as far as antioxidants are concerned.

What Are Antioxidants?

Before we start talking about their benefits, let us first get to know what they are. Antioxidants are substances that can protect your cells against the effects of free radicals. Yet another term to be defined, free radicals are molecules produced when our body breaks down the food we eat. These molecules can also be produced by environmental exposures, including tobacco smoke and even radiation. These free radicals can damage our cells, which can result to certain diseases.

Antioxidants are found in foods like fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, some meats, and whole grains. Certain vitamins, minerals, and compounds in food have antioxidant properties, some of which are vitamins A, C, and E and carotene and selenium.

Battling Oxidative Stress and Free Radicals

As we get older, our body tissues suffer from oxidative stress (a disturbance in the balance between the production of reactive oxygen species (free radicals) and antioxidant defenses. Oxidation takes place when molecules within our body lose electrons to electrically charged molecules of oxygen in our blood stream. These electrically charged oxygen molecules are called ‘free radicals,’ which have the potential to cause damage to cellular DNA. Over time, the damage can become irreversible and lead to disease. What antioxidants do is to keep the levels of free radicals in our body at low levels, thereby maintaining our good health.

Health Benefits

We now know that antioxidants get rid of free radicals from our bloodstream. Apart from that, according to certain studies, they also reduce the signs of aging by protecting our skin from sun damage, thereby minimizing wrinkles and preserving our skin’s texture. They’re also believed to help in preventing certain degenerative and age-related diseases such as cancer, cataracts, cardiovascular disease, macular degeneration, and Alzheimer’s.

Other Sources

Aside from the food sources mentioned earlier here, antioxidants can also be found in poultry, nuts, and acai berry. The latter is known as a ‘superfood’ and contains an exceptional concentration of antioxidants.

Whether or not you believe that there are proven benefits of antioxidants, there’s no harm in eating foods and fruits that are rich in these substances (you can get acai berry at NutritionWarehouse).