The Daily Fit Tip: Antioxidants #0038 Today’s topic is going to highlight some of the benefits of antioxidants and why we need to eat them regularly. When the body is busy processing the food we eat, oxygen is used during metabolism to change carbohydrates and fats into energy. During this process, oxygen is transformed into stable forms of water and carbon dioxide, stable meaning chemically bonded stable molecules that act nicely in the body. However, a small amount of oxygen ends up in an unstable form, referred to as oxygen free radicals (Hoeger et al. 2009). Oxygen free radicals are very dangerous in your body as they set off chain reactions that only stop when two free radicals bind together. Free radicals are harmful because they are unpaired molecules that are looking to pair themselves with other molecules. However, in the search for a molecule to bind with, this free radical succeeds in breaking down other molecules to try and pair with them and so on and so forth, which damages the fibers within our body. The activities of free radicals are thought to contribute to development of many debilitating diseases, like cardiovascular disease, cancer, emphysema, cataracts, Parkinson’s disease, and premature aging. These are just some of the many free radical related diseases. In today’s society, the excessive amounts of pollution and other environmental factors (UV rays) are all thought to contribute to the formation of free radicals. Now, here’s some good news-you have the power to make an informed decision regarding what you eat and put into your body. Antioxidants are here to help; they are believed to offer protection by absorbing free radicals before they can cause damage and also interrupt the chain reaction sequence mentioned above. The body also produces its own defence systems to neutralize free radicals in the body before they can cause damage. However, when more free radicals are being produced than the body can take care of, that’s when damage is inflicted. Antioxidants are found really easily; all you have to do is go to the grocery store and look for a few things called fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables contain loads of antioxidants that will absorb and potentially deactivate those free radicals while promoting a healthy lifestyle. Here are a couple food products that are great for fighting free radicals: blue berries, cantaloupe, strawberries, broccoli, green or red peppers, cauliflower, citrus fruit, and kiwi fruit. Most of these fruits are laden with vitamin C that appears to deactivate oxygen free radicals. Thanks for reading The Daily Fit Tip, and enjoy those blue berries! See you tomorrow. #TheDFT Sources: Hoeger, W., Hoeger, S., Locke, M., Lauzon, L. (2009) Principles and Labs for Fitness and Wellness. 3:73
Posted on: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 11:56:30 +0000
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