Our lives have always depended on the sun. The sun gives off heat that allowed the earth to have the ideal temperature, which is not too cold to freeze everything and not too hot to burn everyone. Because the sun has always helped us, we could not picture our planet without it. In fact, life on earth will perish along with the sun. But little do we know that the same sun that effected life also harms us in some ways. The sun contains ultraviolet rays that contain energy enough to react with our bodies and produce harmful reactive oxygen species that cause degradation of our cell and tissue systems. Our bodies also produce these reactive species, but the sun speeds up the process. These reactive oxygen species can only be stopped by antioxidants. But what are the benefits of antioxidants?
Antioxidants work hard in the body to search for the reactive oxygen species and react with them to effectively stop their harmful rampage through the cells. One advantage of such chemistry is the very high reactivity of the species, which would eventually work against them. Our diets have always included antioxidants, although we might not know that. Those tomatoes that we put on our spaghettis and various dishes contain vitamin E—which, along with the other chemical components of tomatoes—reacts well in the body to prevent iron poisoning. Also, vitamin E seeks out the reactive radicals in the body’s fatty acids to keep these cells from dying.
Other benefits of antioxidants include those not commonly heard. Low-density lipoproteins, most commonly known as LDLs, are oxidized by free radicals, which can then lead to heart problems. Polyphenol extracts from red wine inhibit this oxidation. Carotenoids are powerful enough to react with the reactive oxygen species that cause cataracts and age-related muscular degeneration. One theorized benefit is that for Alzheimer’s disease, and this is supported by studies. Also, coenzyme Q10 targets the free radicals that cause angina, as well as breast and liver cancers.
Have you heard of the omega-3 that can be found in large fat fish such as tuna? This is, in fact, a good antioxidant that maps out the free radicals targeting the immune system so that the survival of immunologically compromised patients such as those with cancer improves. This also lowers the aggressiveness of patients diagnosed with psychological disorders.
Of the millions of antioxidants that can be found in plants, flavonoids are the most common and well-known with thousands of studies being done in tea, red wine, grapes, and coffee. These antioxidants help the heart and reduce the risk of stroke and myocardial infarction.
Some benefits of antioxidants are often overlooked. Check your kitchen, and you can find lots of possibilities. The garlic you use for sautéed meals contains hundreds of antioxidants, which reduce the risks of high blood pressure. Antioxidants from garlic also help in collecting reactive oxygen species that affect good platelet functioning to improve blood clotting and wound healing.
These benefits of antioxidants best work together as a group. Scientists advise that maximized intake of foods rich in these antioxidants would work hand in hand with proper exercise and vitamin supplementation.
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