Antioxidants - Your Best Defense Against Disease and Aging
by Hamoon Arbabi
zone3
being constantly attacked by very harmful substances known
as free radicals or oxygen radicals. Free radicals can destroy your cells,
tissues and organs.
Free radicals are highly unstable molecules that are naturally formed
inside our bodies by the process of oxidation. They are normal by products
of everyday functions like digestion and physical activity. Free radicals
also come from outside sources, such as smoking, environmental pollution,
and synthetic chemicals that are added to our water and food.
We are also all exposed daily to polluted air, ingest oxidized or
partially rancid foods, and oxidizing radiations from the sun and various
electrical appliances.
Free radicals lack one electron making them chemically unstable. To
stabilize themselves, they attack any other substance within reach and
steel an electron from it. This process creates a new free radical, which
repeats the process, producing a "domino effect." When this reaction is
uncontrolled, it can generate millions of free radicals within
seconds.
Fortunately our bodies come equipped with a free radical fighting
mechanism. It consists of specialized enzymes that have a "spare" electron
that they can give away without turning into free radicals. In order to
protect us, the enzymes need help from certain substances known as
antioxidants.
The antioxidant value of any food or supplement can be determined by
it's ORAC rating. ORAC means Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. According
to the University of Michigan, Comprehensive Cancer Center, the
measurement of ORAC is a way to measure how many oxygen radicals a
specific food can absorb. The more oxygen radicals a food can absorb, the
higher its ORAC score. The higher its score... the more that food or
supplement will help you fight diseases like cancer and heart disease.
Most experts agree that we should consume 5,000 ORAC units per day to
effectively fight free radicals in the body. Sadly, most of us average
around 1,200 units per day. Not nearly enough to protect us from the
common ciseases of aging.
One of the best sources of antioxidants are berries and fruits. Most of
us would have a very hard time eating the large amounts necessary to reach
5,000 ORAC units per day. For this reason, high ORAC supplements have been
created. They contain berry and fruit extracts with a known ORAC rating.
These supplements are inexpensive and provide many health benefits to your
entire body and brain. Many people use these supplements as part of an
anti-aging program. Keeping your cells from being destroyed goes a long
way to staying healthy and young.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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