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When it comes to describing what an antioxidant is, it’s all in the name: Antioxidant Counter Oxidant.
And this is a good thing. Oxidants can damage the structure and function of chemicals vital to life in your body — like the proteins and lipids within your cells, and your DNA, which stores genetic information. A special class of oxidants, free radicals, are even more reactive and dangerous.
As Assistant Professor of nutritionI have studied long-running research showing how an imbalance in antioxidants and oxidants leads to oxidative stress, which is linked to cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease And dementia And Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, a primary cause of aging is damage caused by oxidative stress over a lifetime.
Simply put: To help prevent oxidative stress, people need to eat foods rich in antioxidants and limit exposure to oxidants, especially free radicals.
Research: Food, Not Supplements
There is no way for any of us to avoid oxidative stress. Now! metabolism – The processes in your body that keep you alive, such as breathing, digestion and maintaining body temperature – are a source of oxidants and free radicals. Inflammation, pollution and radiation are other sources.
As a result, everyone needs antioxidants. There are many different types: enzymes, minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals.
Two types of phytochemicals deserve special mention: carotenoids and flavonoids. Carotenoids are pigments whose colors are yellow, orange, and red; These contain antioxidants beta-carotene, lycopene and lutein. Some flavonoids, called anthocyanins, are pigments that give foods their blue, red, or purple colors.
Although your body produces some of these antioxidants, you can get them from the foods you eat, and they are better for you than supplements.
About the author
Nathaniel Johnson is an assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics at the University of North Dakota.
This article is republished from Conversation Under Creative Commons license. read the original article,
In fact, researchers found that antioxidant supplements did not reduce deaths, and that some excessive doses contribute to oxidative stress, and may even increase the risk of dying.
It should be pointed out that in most of these studies, only one or two antioxidants were given, and often in amounts far above the recommended daily value. For example, in one study participants were given only vitamin A and the amount was 60 times the recommended intake for an adult.
Antioxidant Rich Foods
In contrast, increased intake of antioxidants from whole foods is related to a lower risk of death. And although antioxidant supplementation did not reduce cancer rates in smokers, antioxidants in whole foods did.
But measuring antioxidants in foods is complicated. Extensive laboratory testing is required, and there are too many foods to test them all. Even different foods that are exactly the same type of food – such as two Gala apples – may contain different amounts of antioxidants. Factors include where the food was grown and harvested, how it was processed and how it was stored during transportation and in the supermarket. Food variety also matters – for example, several different types of apples may contain different amounts of antioxidants.
Nonetheless, in 2018, researchers quantified the antioxidant content of more than 3,100 foods—the first antioxidant database. The antioxidant capacity of each food was determined by the amount of oxidants inactivated by a given amount of the food. The researchers measured this capacity in millimoles per 100 grams, or about 4 ounces.
For fruits easily found in the grocery store, the database shows that blueberries contain the most antioxidants — just over 9 millimoles per 4 ounces. Equal amounts of pomegranate and blackberry each contain about 6.5 millimoles.
For common vegetables, cooked artichokes contain 4.54 millimoles per 4 ounces; red kale, 4.09 millimoles; Cooked red cabbage, 2.15; and orange bell pepper, 1.94.
Coffee contains 2.5 millimoles per 4 ounces; Green tea has 1.5; Whole walnuts, a little more than 13; whole pecans, about 9.7; and sunflower seeds, a little more than 5. Herbs and spices have a lot of them: cloves have 465 millimoles per 4 ounces; Rosemary has 67; and thyme, about 64. But keep in mind that these huge numbers are based on a quarter pound. Still, just a simple sprinkling packs a powerful nutritional punch.
Other Tips
Other ways to choose antioxidant-rich foods: Read nutrition facts labels and look for antioxidant vitamins and minerals — vitamins A, C, E, D, B2, B3 and B9, and the minerals selenium, zinc and manganese.
Just know that there is a flaw in the label. Food producers and manufacturers are not required to list every nutrient in a food on the label. In fact, the only vitamins and minerals required by law are sodium, potassium, calcium, iron, and vitamin D.
Also, focus on eating the rainbow. Colorful foods are often high in antioxidants, such as blue corn. Many dark foods are also rich in antioxidants, such as dark chocolate, black barley and dark leafy vegetables, such as kale and Swiss chard.
However, heat can degrade the oxidants, which occurs most commonly during storage and transportation of food. In some cases, cooking can increase the antioxidant capacity of a food, such as with leafy green vegetables.
Keep in mind that blueberries, red kale, and pecans are great, but their antioxidant profile will be different than other fruits, vegetables, and nuts. That’s why variety is important: To boost antioxidant power, choose a variety of fresh, tasty, colorful and, ideally, local foods.