The science behind Antioxidants

So here’s some more of the scientific information behind antioxidants… to remind you, antioxidants defeat free radicals which are damaging to our body’s cells. 

A system of enzymes helps to disarm the most harmful oxidants.  These enzymes depend on selenium, copper, manganese, and zinc to keep the line of defense strong.  Then the antioxidant vitamins – vitamin E, beta-carotene, and vitamin C fight the free radicals to protect our cells. 

Specifically Vitamin E defends the body’s lipids (fats), beta-carotene also protects lipid membranes, and vitamin C protects skin, fluid, blood and other tissues.  Vitamin C can also restore oxidized vitamin E to its active state. 

Dietary antioxidants also include non-nutrients such as phytochemicals to help limit free-radical formation, destroy free radicals or their precursors, stimulating antioxidant enzyme activity, repairing oxidative damage, and stimulating repair enzyme activity.  In simple terms, these actions defend against cancer and heart disease. 

So where does food come into play? 

In the process of destroying free radicals, antioxidants become oxidized.  Sometimes they can be regenerated, but losses still occur.  To maintain defenses, we must replenish dietary antioxidants regularly. 

So which is better, food or supplements? 

Well foods – especially fruits and vegetables – offer not only antioxidants, but an array of other valuable vitamins and minerals.  Additionally deficiencies in these nutrients can damage DNA. 

According to epidemiologic studies these three dietary strategies are most effective in preventing disease: use unsaturated fats, select foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and consume a diet high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains and low in refined grain products.  This type of diet combines with exercise, weight control, and not smoking serves as the best prescription for health. 

As you can see supplementation is not among these three disease preventing recommendations.  Some studies have also shown that the benefits are more apparent when the vitamins come from food rather than supplements.  Though if your diet is lacking in fruits and vegetables, it would be a good idea to take a multivitamin to be sure you do not become deficient in key vitamins and minerals. 

So what are some of the best food choices when it comes to antioxidants? 

For fruit it would be pomegranates, berries and citrus fruits.  For vegetables the best include kale, spinach and Brussels sprouts and the best grains include millet and oats.  Outstanding legumes include pinto beans and soybeans and the best nuts are walnuts.  This doesn’t mean to only eat these foods but be sure to include them in your diet on a regular basis as well as a wide variety of other nutrient-rich foods.  

Antioxidants for Overall Health

Antioxidants defend against free radicals which are harmful to our body.  Free radicals are unstable and highly reactive.  Antioxidants neutralize free radicals and protect other substances from their damage.  Vitamin C is a key antioxidant which protects tissues from oxidative stress, a condition in which the production of free radicals exceed the body’s ability to prevent damage.  Vitamin C plays a major role in preventing diseases.  Additionally in the intestines, vitamin C enhances iron absorption by protecting iron from oxidation.  

Did you know that vitamin C also forms collagen?  Collagen is the structural protein from which connective tissues such as scars, tendons and ligaments are made which is the matrix on which bones and teeth are formed. 

Fruits and vegetables are your best bet when it comes to filling up on vitamin C.  Some excellent sources include oranges, broccoli, strawberries, watermelon, red bell peppers, kiwi and Brussels sprouts. 

The Recommended Daily Allowance for vitamin C is 90 mg for men and 75 mg for women each day.  If you smoke, you should have an additional 35 mg of vitamin C each day.  If you had one cup of orange juice for breakfast, a salad for lunch, and a stalk of broccoli and a potato with dinner, you’d have consumed about 300 mgs of vitamin C.  So luckily this antioxidant is pretty easy to ingest without having to take a supplement.

At about 200 mgs, absorption reaches a maximum and the rest is readily excreted.  Side effects of vitamin C supplementation may include nausea, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea.  So though those Emergen-C packets may seem like they are taking your cold away, they can also contribute to other unwanted side effects.  But everyone is different and some can handle larger doses of vitamins and minerals.

Other key antioxidant nutrients include vitamin E, beta-carotene and selenium.  Check out Friday's post to learn more about these antioxidants and how they improve our health on a daily basis.

Daily fasting

Do you enjoy a bedtime snack or glass of vino while watching your favorite television shows?

I'm a big advocate for eating small meals and snacks throughout the day to keep your metabolism charged but there is such a thing as over-eating from constant grazing.  Even if you are eating the healthiest of foods, it is still possible to over-eat.


An article in the LA Times shares a study of mice that "fasted" after dinner and therefore went about 16 hours without eating until breakfast.  When compared to mice that were allowed to graze into the evening, the fasting mice were leaner and healthier even though both groups consumed a high-fat, high-calorie diet!  This is not an excuse to eat high fat foods but sure is something to think about.

"The data suggest that the stomach, the brain and the body's digestive machinery need to take a break from managing incoming fuel; otherwise, we may be working ourselves into a state of metabolic exhaustion. When combined with high-calorie, high-fat diets, the result is weight gain, a liver clogged with fat, accumulation of cholesterol in the arteries and unused glucose in the blood."
Hmmm....  Check out the article below.

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-fasting-diet-20120518,0,1060110.story