Since it has been shown that free radicals account for approximately 80% of aging processes and many diseases, antioxidant nutrients have become a top priority. These unique molecules act to capture harmful free radicals while simultaneously inhibiting oxidation within our bodies.
Fruits and vegetables, as well as certain supplements, contain ample antioxidants. Food and supplement industries have promoted them as potent weapons against heart disease, cancer, vision loss, high blood pressure and more; however results of large clinical trials have generally been disappointing.
Vitamin C
As most people know, antioxidants are an incredibly popular topic of discussion. You may have come across foods like berries or green tea, as well as supplements, being advertised as providing protection from heart disease, cancer, macular degeneration and memory loss. Unfortunately, studies on antioxidant supplements or adding them into your diet have produced mixed results and it’s wise to consult your physician prior to doing either.
Antioxidants are substances which remove or neutralize free radicals, unstable molecules produced during chemical reactions in the body that can damage cell membranes, proteins, lipids and DNA. Our bodies produce their own antioxidants as well as being present in foods like fruits and vegetables as well as vitamin and mineral supplements.
Vitamin C is one of the key nutrients you can include in your diet to combat aging. Being water-soluble, it dissolves easily through body fluids before leaving through urine as an anti-oxidant and essential for several important bodily processes.
Vitamin C is essential in the production of collagen, keeping skin looking firm and younger for longer. Furthermore, Vitamin C has also been proven to lower risk for cataracts – protein buildups which obscure vision with clouded lenses at the front of your eye that obscure vision and blur vision – due to reduced protein accumulations on its lens surface.
There are various kinds of antioxidants, and they can be divided up based on various criteria, such as chemical properties or location of action. For instance, the group known as tocopherols contains Vitamin E (with its most potent form being a-tocopherol) as its centerpiece; this chemical specializes in clearing away peroxyl radicals from biological lipid phases.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant that protects cell membranes against damage and reverses some of the harmful effects of oxidation, helping protect against age-related eye problems and cognitive decline. Vitamin E can be found in many food sources such as vegetable oils, seeds, nuts and leafy vegetables – it’s even available as dietary supplements and featured as an ingredient in beauty products!
Vitamins E and C work in harmony to neutralize damaging free radicals, helping researchers investigate whether they could prevent or postpone aging and diseases associated with free radical damage. Animal studies indicate they could, with vitamin E’s prevent lipid peroxidation helping lower myocardial infarction risk as well as slowing progression of advanced AMD.
Vitamin E not only acts as an antioxidant but it is also an integral cofactor in the expression of genes coding for enzymes that suppress arachidonic acid metabolism and increase production of prostacyclin, a substance which dilates blood vessels and prevents platelet aggregation. Furthermore, it boosts immune function as well as appears to prevent inflammation processes in some cells.
Natural vitamin E — known as tocopherols or tocochromanols — exists in eight chemical forms (four tocopherols and four tocotrienols) with differing degrees of activity, although only one form, a-tocopherol, meets human vitamin E needs (see The RDA). All the other forms are converted to a-tocopherol by liver conversion processes before being transported throughout body tissues in lipoproteins.
D-alpha-tocopherol is the most efficient and plentiful tocopherol available, boasting high levels of biological activity. This tocopherol can be found naturally in foods like peanuts, almonds, spinach, tomatoes and olive oil as well as available as a dietary supplement either by itself or integrated into multivitamin products and lotions/oils used on skin. Furthermore, conjugated forms are available which have greater heat stability as well as quicker absorption rates.
Carotenoids
Carotenoids are naturally-occurring pigments found in plants, algae and photosynthetic microorganisms that act as antioxidants to counter oxidative stress, chronic inflammation and impaired immunological responses. Carotenoids also promote cell health and can delay aging.
These phytochemicals can be found in fruits, vegetables and algae and serve as natural sunscreens that shield you from UV rays while acting as powerful anti-inflammatories that decrease production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in your body. Carotenoids also protect you against oxidative damage by scavenging free radicals before their formation occurs – providing effective defense against free radical formation.
People are familiar with lycopene, the orange-red carotenoid known as an antioxidant that protects eyes, skin, cardiovascular system, bones and DNA from damage; furthermore it may even help prevent certain cancers. It has become one of the mainstays in people’s diets to protect eyesight, skin condition and cardiovascular system while even helping protect from certain cancers.
Carotenoids can be divided into two distinct groups depending on whether they contain oxygen in their molecules: carotenes and xanthophylls. While carotenes do not, xanthophylls contain it via hydroxy, epoxy or carboxy groups whereas carotenes do not. Furthermore, lipophilic substances like xanthophylls make it easier for their absorption through membranes than carotenes do.
Some xanthophylls, including lutein and zeaxanthin, can be classified as provitamin A carotenoids since they can be converted to vitamin A by our bodies; others don’t convert at all, including lycopene and beta-carotene; all three may reduce UVB-induced erythema though its exact mechanism remains unknown – it may be through primary protection against photooxidation by quenching singlet oxygen or through suppressing inflammatory responses – further research needs to be undertaken before its exact effect can be understood.
Walnuts
Walnuts (Juglans regia), considered one of the heart-healthy nuts, contain both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats; specifically omega-3s such as alpha-linolenic acid (18:3n-3) and linoleic acid (18:2n-6). Furthermore, walnuts contain various antioxidants including ellagic acid as a potency phytochemical and vitamin E; folate, fiber and other micronutrients are also abundantly present within them – making these super nuts nutrient dense indeed!
Many studies have linked higher nut consumption with improved heart health. One such research review examined data from 67,014 women and 26,326 men participating in both Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study who self-reported their diet intake; those consuming five servings of walnuts each week had 25% lower risks of dying from cardiovascular disease compared with those who didn’t consume walnuts at all.
Researchers suggest that walnuts contain an ingredient known as alpha linoleic acid (ALA), which could potentially help prevent cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and strokes by improving blood lipid levels, reducing inflammation, protecting brain function and increasing cognitive function. Animal studies conducted with mice suffering from Alzheimer’s showed how feeding walnuts reduced memory loss as well as other symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s.
Walnuts contain an amino acid called ALA that the body converts into DHA and EPA for brain health, both essential for mental clarity, thought processing, blood sugar regulation and other aspects of wellbeing, such as mental clarity. Furthermore, walnuts also provide other essential nutrients like Vitamin E, Ellagic acid magnesium copper potassium that help ensure mental clarity thought processing blood sugar control; all while helping oxidative stress that causes poor mental function to decrease. They support normal neurotransmitter function as well as supporting normal cell growth including neuron formation in hippocampus which regulates memory regulation by strengthening existing neurons by boosting neurotransmitters in this vital area of brain that regulates memory!
Berries
Antioxidants are molecules that fight off unstable substances known as free radicals that damage DNA, cell membranes and other parts of the body. Antioxidants work by giving some electrons from their own bodies to free radicals to neutralize them; this breaks oxidative stress cycles. Antioxidants can be found in many foods like leafy green vegetables, fruits, berries and nuts for maximum effectiveness.
Botany defines a berry as any fleshy fruit with thin skins that is produced from one flower with multiple ovarian carpels, but which does not include watermelons and citrus fruits; such as bananas, squashes, avocados or cucumbers among many others commonly consumed foods. A true berry must possess juicy yet firm flesh and an edible outer covering made of flesh (pericarp).
Researchers have investigated the antioxidant effects of berries through various in vitro and animal experiments, with positive findings including reduced protein and lipid oxidation and formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), associated with aging processes. Furthermore, consumption of antioxidants has been associated with reduced risks of atherosclerotic diseases.
Antioxidants can be found in numerous food products, such as green tea, red wine, black beans and tomatoes. These foods contain phytochemicals with various health benefits including prevention of heart disease, cancer and other chronic illnesses. Many are surprised to learn that many common foods also contain powerful antioxidants like blackberries, cranberries, blueberries, raspberries strawberries and acai berries; plus these foods provide vitamins C E lycopene which has also been proven to protect against cardiovascular disease as well as specific cancers. Finally selenium has also proven protective against heart disease as well as certain cancers.
