Antioxidants Could Add Years To Your Life
Antioxidants are like scavengers eating up free radicals in the body
In a healthy body, there should be loads of antioxidants which literally roam the body looking for free radicals to eat up, thus eliminating them from the system. The question is how come we have these free radicals in our system, how do they get there in the first place? And if antioxidants help remove them, how then can we boost our natural supply of antioxidants to the body?
What Are Free Radicals?
As the name suggests, free radicals are loose carbon atoms or molecules that are not attached to any cells in the body. They are created during the normal process of metabolism, but an imbalance can occur when the number exceeds the body’s ability to neutralise or eliminate them. They thereby roam free in the body. If the level of the free radicals in the body gets too high, they can cause chain reactions that ultimately begin to damage the cells in the body.
Free radicals oxidative damage is linked to cancer, inflammation, diabetics, Alzeheimer, kidney-diseases, Parkinson, etc.
Exposure to toxic chemicals, like smoke, heavy metals, like asbestos, poor nutrition, stress and lack of sleep generally are the main causes. Naturally, a person’s lifestyle apart from environmental factors can raise the levels of free radicals in the body, like stress, lack of sleep and poor nutrition.
The development of free radicals is unavoidable and is not all that bad. I said not all that bad because sometimes electrons from free radicals are used in the further metabolic process, and the immune system uses the cell membrane damaging effect of free radicals to kill pathogens (Bacteria or other micro-organisms that can cause diseases). And it has been found that free radicals actually aid in tissue repair in a cut or bruises.
The Body Defence Mechanism From Free Radicals
As expected, the body has its own defence mechanism against free radicals by using detoxifying enzymes and antioxidants to eliminate excess free radicals in the body. In the low moderate concentration, free radicals are involved in physiological functions, but excess can lead to oxidative stress which has been linked to damage to cell structure and tissue injuries.
Free Radicals Detoxifying Enzymes
I do not want this article to be too technical, but just know that there are some enzymes that serve to detoxify free radicals by presenting themselves to bind with other molecules in the body to eliminate (eat up) these free radicals.
There are three of these enzymes.
Antioxidants In Fighting Against Free Radicals
Most antioxidants are manufactured in the body from the nutrients from the food we eat. The core nutrients are:
Selenium, zinc, manganese, copper, iron, lipoic acid, glutathione, Vitamins, A, C, E, & B. Others like flavonoids, carotenoids and co-enzymes Q10.
Having a diet rich in these micronutrients help build up a protective shield around the cells which fights off any attacking free radicals. If any of these is lacking in your food, there’s a crack in the protective shield, and the body’s defence system is compromised and at risk of diseases like Alzheimer and some cancers.
ORAC Rating In Foods
Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) is a rating of how antioxidants in foods are absorbed in the body. The rating is graded in TAC (Total Absorbance Capacity). The higher the rating and eating foods with high ORAC Rating, the higher the cell defence system will go up by up to twenty-five per cent.
There is no doubt that the modern way of farming has completely depleted the micronutrients in the soil.
Most darker skin fruits and vegetables tend to have higher ORAC Rating than their lighter counterparts, so it best to wash these types of fruits to eat, rather than peeling the skin off.
Most antioxidants are destroyed in food preparation, especially those who love to eat their vegetables mashed up.
‘’The amount of antioxidants that you maintain in your body is directly proportional to how long you will live.’’ Dr Richard Cutler, anti-ageing researcher.
Will Antioxidants Supplements Do The Trick?
Nutritionists over the years have always advised that nutrients are best obtained from food rather than from pill bottles. This is because of the biodiversity and interaction of phytonutrients in foods that are not available in supplements.
They advised eating high ORAC foods, and then you might top-up with supplements in days you are not able to eat these ORAC foods.
Top ORAC — Scoring Foods
A high ORAC diet will provide 3000–5000 units a day. The measurements are based on 100 grams of each food.
Prunes 5770 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Broccoli 890
Raisins 2830 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Beetroot 840
Blueberries 2400 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -Avocado 782
Blackberries 2036 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Oranges 750
Garlic 1939 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —-Red grapes 739
Kale 1770 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Red Peppers 710
Cranberries 1750 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —Cherries 670
Strawberries 1540 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Kiwi fruits 602
Spinach 1260 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Baked beans 503
Raspberries 1220 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -Pink grapefruits 483
Brussels sprouts 980 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Kidney beans 460
Plums 949 _ — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -Onion 450
Alfalfa sprouts 930 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — White grapes 446
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