Antioxidants
Learn What They Do For YouYour body needs antioxidants.
They help protect your body from free radicals. The term “free radicals” means groups of atoms that damage cells, impair the immune system, and lead to degenerative diseases.
Why Do You Need the
Because you can’t stop free radicals from forming in your body. They may be formed by:
How Exactly Do Antioxidants
First, as a normal body function, your cells react with oxygen as part of energy metabolism.
But this normal process produces free radicals---atoms or molecules that have unpaired electrons. These unstable free radicals attack stable molecules to steal electrons. When the attacked molecule loses an electron, it too becomes a free radical. It's kind of like the rage virus in the movie Healthy cells become disrupted. But, as you can see, antioxidants donate electrons to free radicals, giving them stability. This stops them from attacking healthy molecules.
Eating Antioxidant Foods
Considering that we live in an environment filled with free radicals, eating antioxidant foods provides inadequate protection. And really, who eats healthy consistently? It's always a struggle. You can best combat free radicals by eating well and taking supplements. A high intake of nutrients is an excellent defense.
Which Antioxidant Supplements?
Antioxidants work synergistically in fighting free radicals, so taking smaller doses of several different ones is the most effective strategy. For example, beta-carotene by itself is excellent, but a mix of natural cartenoids provides more health benefits than beta-carotene alone. Common antioxidants: alpha lipoic acid, beta-carotene, bilberry, burdock, coenzyme Q10, curcumin, flavonoids, garlic, ginger, ginkgo biloba, glutathione, grape seed extract, green tea, melatonin, methionine, n-acetylcysteine, quercetin, resveratrol, selenium, silymarin, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc.
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