Vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants can all help keep you healthy. Antioxidants are substances, either natural or made by humans, that can help prevent or slow down cell damage in some cases. Let's take a closer look at both the famous and benefits of antioxidants.
About Antioxidants
Antioxidants are like superheroes for our bodies. They help prevent or slow down cell damage caused by unstable molecules called free radicals. These free radicals can lead to inflammation and various health problems. They're often called "free-radical scavengers."
You can find antioxidants in certain plant-based foods, which are rich in these beneficial nutrients. They're known as phytonutrients. Our bodies also make some antioxidants on their own, called endogenous antioxidants, while those we get from outside sources are called exogenous.
Source: Antioxidants work to protect healthy cells from free radical attacks.
Free radicals are waste substances produced by our cells as they process food and react to the environment. If our bodies can't get rid of these free radicals efficiently, it can lead to oxidative stress, which can harm our cells and overall health. Factors like inflammation, pollution, UV exposure, and smoking can increase free radical production.
Oxidative stress has been linked to various health issues like heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and more. Antioxidants help neutralize free radicals, which is believed to improve overall health.
8 Benefits Of Antioxidants
So, what exactly does your daily dose of antioxidants do for you? Knowing that antioxidants are good for you and understanding how they work in your body is great, but it's hard to pinpoint exactly what changes you'll feel.
Here are nine ways getting your daily dose of antioxidants can benefit you:
1. They Lower Oxidative Stress
Oxidative stress happens when there's an imbalance between harmful oxygen-reactive substances in your body and its ability to get rid of them. This imbalance can lead to diseases like cancer, diabetes, and heart problems. Antioxidants help prevent this stress, which can keep you healthier overall.
2. They Can Keep The Stomach Health
Antioxidants play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy stomach. The stomach is prone to various issues like inflammation, ulcers, and digestive discomfort, which can be aggravated by oxidative stress. Antioxidants help combat this stress by neutralizing harmful free radicals, thus protecting the stomach lining from damage.
Source: Learn how to naturally incorporate antioxidants into your diet through food sources.
Furthermore, antioxidants aid in maintaining a balanced gut microbiome, which is essential for digestive health. By promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria and reducing harmful microbes, antioxidants contribute to a healthy digestive system.
3. They Protect Eye Health
Adding more antioxidant-rich foods to your diet can significantly lower your risk of certain eye problems, such as age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. A study published in Clinical Interventions in Aging in 2013 even found that antioxidants may slow down the progression of age-related macular degeneration. Beta-carotene and vitamin E, in particular, are well-known for their protective properties for eye health.
4. They Support Brain Function
The brain uses a lot of oxygen during its daily activities, making it vulnerable to damage from free radicals. Consuming antioxidants can help protect your brain from this damage. Antioxidants have the potential to delay cognitive decline, including memory loss, which is often linked to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can contribute to conditions like Alzheimer's disease and other forms of memory loss and cognitive decline.
5. They May Improve Mental Health
While brain health and mental health are different, antioxidants can benefit both. Research suggests that oxidative stress is often associated with anxiety and depression. While a healthy diet with plenty of antioxidants isn't a substitute for proper mental health care, it can be one of the lifestyle changes that help many individuals.
6. They Can Decrease Inflammation
Inflammation is a natural response in the body to protect against infections, but too much can cause discomfort and health issues. Antioxidants help prevent inflammation by shielding cells from damage and stopping unwanted inflammatory responses.
7. They Promote Healthy Aging
While antioxidants can't stop the aging process, they can support healthy aging. They may improve memory, prevent conditions like Alzheimer's, and play a role in disease prevention. Antioxidants help keep the body protected and functioning well as it ages, including supporting bone health and mental agility.
8. They Help Prevent Diseases
Antioxidants not only reduce oxidative stress but also play a role in preventing diseases. Research suggests that by lowering oxidative stress, antioxidants support normal cell function and provide extra defense against illnesses. Antioxidants have been linked to lower rates of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and other health issues. While studies are ongoing, the outlook on their impact looks promising.
Antioxidants In Foods
Antioxidants are vital for the survival of all living beings.
Our bodies produce antioxidants like glutathione to protect against damage.
Plants, animals, and other living things also have their own defenses against harmful molecules and oxidative stress.
As a result, antioxidants are naturally present in all whole foods from plants and animals.
- Getting enough antioxidants is crucial. Certain antioxidants like vitamins C and E are essential for our health and well-being.
- While some antioxidants in food are not essential, they still play a vital role in keeping us healthy.
- Eating a diet rich in plant foods provides us with a variety of antioxidants, which contributes to our overall health.
The following foods could help increase your antioxidant intake:
- Berries, green tea, coffee, and dark chocolate are well-known for their antioxidant content.
- Coffee is one of the main sources of antioxidants in Western diets, though many people don't consume enough antioxidant-rich foods.
- Meat and fish also contain antioxidants, although in smaller amounts compared to fruits and veggies.
Antioxidants can also help extend the shelf life of both natural and processed foods, which is why they're often used as food preservatives. For example, vitamin C is added to processed foods to keep them fresh longer.
Types Of Antioxidants In Food
Antioxidants in our diet can be divided into two groups: water-soluble and fat-soluble.
Water-soluble antioxidants work inside and outside cells, while fat-soluble antioxidants primarily protect cell membranes.
Some important dietary antioxidants are:
- Vitamin C: This antioxidant dissolves in water and is essential for our diet.
- Vitamin E: This antioxidant dissolves in fat and helps shield cell membranes from oxidative harm.
- Flavonoids: These antioxidants found in plants offer various health benefits.
Many antioxidants in food also serve other important roles.
For instance, curcuminoids in turmeric and oleocanthal in extra virgin olive oil act as antioxidants while also having strong anti-inflammatory properties.
In Summary
Free radicals have been associated with various diseases like heart disease, cancer, and vision problems. However, increasing your intake of antioxidants might not necessarily prevent these diseases. In fact, antioxidants from artificial sources could even raise the risk of certain health issues.
That's why it's important to get your antioxidants from natural sources, like a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables. Eating plenty of fruits and veggies has been linked to a lower risk of chronic diseases, and antioxidants found in them may contribute to this. But relying on added antioxidants, especially in processed foods, may not offer significant benefits.
