be
i nformed
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What is an Antioxidant?
The term “Antioxidant” refers
to a group of organic sub-
stances, including vitamins C,
E and A and selenium (a min-
eral). Antioxidants also include
a group known as carotenoids
-
beta-carotene being the
most popular and well known
of the group. Carotenoids are
responsible for giving many
fruits and vegetables their
vibrant colours.
Antioxidants are believed
to be effective in helping to
prevent cancer, heart disease,
stroke and a variety of other
ailments associated with
natural aging.
How do Antioxidants work?
Antioxidants work by prevent-
ing oxidation from occurring
in your body. Believe it or not,
oxygen—the very thing you
need to survive—can harm
you. Think of how the flesh
of an apple browns when it’s
exposed to air. That’s the ef-
fect of oxygen—called oxida-
tion. Dipping the cut apple in
lemon juice prevents brown-
ing since the lemon juice is an
antioxidant. Oxidative stress
occurs when someone has
too many “free radicals” in his
or her body and not enough
antioxidants to combat them.
Left unmanaged, free radicals
can damage cell walls,
genetic material within cells
and other cell structures. Over
time, such damage may lead
to disease. Again, antioxidants
are believed to assist in pre-
venting disease by destroying
free radicals before they get
the chance to do harm to
your body.
If there are too many free
radicals and not enough
antioxidants, the balance is
off - there are not enough
antioxidants to go around,
and the damaged cells
become more susceptible to
diseases such as cancer or
heart disease.
What are some examples
of antioxidants?
Antioxidants are found in
plants - protecting them from
ultraviolet light and acting as
A Guide to
Antioxidants
Recently you may have heard the latest buzzword in diet/nutrition -
“
Antioxidants.” What are they? Where do you find them? What can
they do for you? Read below for information that can significantly
improve your overall health!
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