Antioxidants And Their Health Benefits

More people are becoming aware of the importance of antioxidants and their health benefits for the body. Beauty products such as creams, and anti-aging medications are mixed with antioxidants. Antioxidants are good for cell and tissue rejuvenation, and are good to reverse premature aging.

Antioxidants are molecules that slow down and prevent the oxidation of other molecules in the body. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers an electron from a substance to an oxidizing agent. This chemical reaction produces free radicals which start a chain reaction that can cause cellular damage. Antioxidants stop this chain reaction by removing the free radical intermediates and prevent other oxidation reactions by being oxidized themselves.

Free radicals produced during oxidation are not good for the body. They not only damage the cells but accelerate the process of aging too. Saturated fats in the diet, cigarette smoke, heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium and lead; hydrogen peroxide, ozone, nitrous oxide from car exhaust, ultraviolet rays, cosmic rays, medical x-rays, and other toxic chemicals in food, water and air are free radicals that should be avoided.

Certain vitamins, enzymes, and minerals such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium and zinc are powerful antioxidants. Other antioxidants are the alpha and the beta carotenes, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, flavonoids, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B6, coenzyme Q10, cysteine, silymarin, and pycnogenol. These antioxidants are found in herbs such as turmeric, bilberry, burdock, garlic, gingko biloba, and in extracts such as those in grape seed and pine bark.

There are also substances made in the body that fight free radicals. These are glutathione, melatonin and several others. Low levels of antioxidants in the body can cause oxidative stress which may be a precursor of so many diseases. Antioxidants are now widely used as ingredients in most dietary supplements to treat diseases such cancer and coronary heart diseases.