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.