An antioxidant, as its name implies, is a molecule that counteracts the oxidation process in animal tissue. Antioxidants can either be nutrients just like vitamins and minerals, or enzymes, proteins taking place naturally in the body to aid with chemical processes.
How are they formed?
Some antioxidants happen naturally within the human body, while others really need to be ingested. Those that occur naturally include lipoic acid, and CoQ10. Nevertheless, levels of these is reduced as we grow older, so supplements are often needed.
Essentially the most common antioxidants are Vitamins A, C and E. As our bodies can't manufacture these vitamins themselves, they've to be acquired through diet regime and/or supplements.
How and why do they affect our bodies?
Our bodies are exceptional in that millions of processes are happening at any one time. To ensure that these processes to take place, the body needs oxygen as a power supply. Sadly, these processes lead to a potent and damaging side effect in the form of oxidants, which are much better recognized as free radicals. Antioxidants safeguard cells from the harmful effects of free radicals.
How are they formed?
Some antioxidants happen naturally within the human body, while others really need to be ingested. Those that occur naturally include lipoic acid, and CoQ10. Nevertheless, levels of these is reduced as we grow older, so supplements are often needed.
Essentially the most common antioxidants are Vitamins A, C and E. As our bodies can't manufacture these vitamins themselves, they've to be acquired through diet regime and/or supplements.
How and why do they affect our bodies?
Our bodies are exceptional in that millions of processes are happening at any one time. To ensure that these processes to take place, the body needs oxygen as a power supply. Sadly, these processes lead to a potent and damaging side effect in the form of oxidants, which are much better recognized as free radicals. Antioxidants safeguard cells from the harmful effects of free radicals.
Free radicals are extremely unstable molecules which might be formed as a by-product of our body's natural metabolism. They may be also a outcome of environmental elements like sun exposure, smoking, pollution, and radiation. The exact same process of oxidation that produces rust, breaking down and weakening metal, happens in our bodies, creating free radicals.
How do antioxidants combat free radicals?
Free radicals are thought to become the reason for degradation within our bodies, leading to premature ageing, heart disease, and cancer. Mainly because free radicals are so unstable, they attack molecules in our body, triggering a chain reaction which tends to make that molecule grow to be a free radical also, leading to the ultimate death of a cell.
Antioxidants operate by connecting themselves to free radicals without becoming a free radical themselves, and so breaking the chain reaction. Antioxidants instead neutralize the free radical by either giving or receiving an electron. When done, the process cease cellular damage prior to it begins.
Nonetheless, when an antioxidant neutralizes a free radical, it will become inactive itself. Because of this, it's important to maintain an excellent supply of antioxidants.
Several antioxidants
There are many sorts of antioxidants, all of which hold a exceptional function:
* Vitamin A and beta-carotene - these water soluble vitamins are believed to be the most effective neutralizer of an uncharged kind of oxygen that is definitely very toxic to cells.
* Vitamin C is yet another water soluble vitamin that operates along with vitamin E to search and neutralize free radicals within the more watery environments inside the body, and specially inside cells themselves.
* Vitamin E - in contrast to vitamins A and C, vitamin E is fat soluble, which suggests it could only dissolve in fat. Because of this, Vitamin E protects cell membranes from damage by free radicals. It's also of certain advantage to cholesterol levels by safeguarding oxidation from taking place within LDLs, or 'bad' cholesterol.
* Selenium, manganese and zinc. These minerals are trace elements our bodies need to survive, and are our major line of defense with regards to destroying free radicals.
* CoEnzyme Q10, uric acid, and phytochemicals. These are additional nutrients which have antioxidant properties, protecting t
How do antioxidants combat free radicals?
Free radicals are thought to become the reason for degradation within our bodies, leading to premature ageing, heart disease, and cancer. Mainly because free radicals are so unstable, they attack molecules in our body, triggering a chain reaction which tends to make that molecule grow to be a free radical also, leading to the ultimate death of a cell.
Antioxidants operate by connecting themselves to free radicals without becoming a free radical themselves, and so breaking the chain reaction. Antioxidants instead neutralize the free radical by either giving or receiving an electron. When done, the process cease cellular damage prior to it begins.
Nonetheless, when an antioxidant neutralizes a free radical, it will become inactive itself. Because of this, it's important to maintain an excellent supply of antioxidants.
Several antioxidants
There are many sorts of antioxidants, all of which hold a exceptional function:
* Vitamin A and beta-carotene - these water soluble vitamins are believed to be the most effective neutralizer of an uncharged kind of oxygen that is definitely very toxic to cells.
* Vitamin C is yet another water soluble vitamin that operates along with vitamin E to search and neutralize free radicals within the more watery environments inside the body, and specially inside cells themselves.
* Vitamin E - in contrast to vitamins A and C, vitamin E is fat soluble, which suggests it could only dissolve in fat. Because of this, Vitamin E protects cell membranes from damage by free radicals. It's also of certain advantage to cholesterol levels by safeguarding oxidation from taking place within LDLs, or 'bad' cholesterol.
* Selenium, manganese and zinc. These minerals are trace elements our bodies need to survive, and are our major line of defense with regards to destroying free radicals.
* CoEnzyme Q10, uric acid, and phytochemicals. These are additional nutrients which have antioxidant properties, protecting t
Nonetheless, when an antioxidant neutralizes a free radical, it will become inactive itself. Because of this, it's important to maintain an excellent supply of antioxidants.
Several antioxidants
There are many sorts of antioxidants, all of which hold a exceptional function:
* Vitamin A and beta-carotene - these water soluble vitamins are believed to be the most effective neutralizer of an uncharged kind of oxygen that is definitely very toxic to cells.
* Vitamin C is yet another water soluble vitamin that operates along with vitamin E to search and neutralize free radicals within the more watery environments inside the body, and specially inside cells themselves.
* Vitamin E - in contrast to vitamins A and C, vitamin E is fat soluble, which suggests it could only dissolve in fat. Because of this, Vitamin E protects cell membranes from damage by free radicals. It's also of certain advantage to cholesterol levels by safeguarding oxidation from taking place within LDLs, or 'bad' cholesterol.
* Selenium, manganese and zinc. These minerals are trace elements our bodies need to survive, and are our major line of defense with regards to destroying free radicals.
* CoEnzyme Q10, uric acid, and phytochemicals. These are additional nutrients which have antioxidant properties, protecting the body from free radicals.
About the Author:
Several antioxidants
There are many sorts of antioxidants, all of which hold a exceptional function:
* Vitamin A and beta-carotene - these water soluble vitamins are believed to be the most effective neutralizer of an uncharged kind of oxygen that is definitely very toxic to cells.
* Vitamin C is yet another water soluble vitamin that operates along with vitamin E to search and neutralize free radicals within the more watery environments inside the body, and specially inside cells themselves.
* Vitamin E - in contrast to vitamins A and C, vitamin E is fat soluble, which suggests it could only dissolve in fat. Because of this, Vitamin E protects cell membranes from damage by free radicals. It's also of certain advantage to cholesterol levels by safeguarding oxidation from taking place within LDLs, or 'bad' cholesterol.
* Selenium, manganese and zinc. These minerals are trace elements our bodies need to survive, and are our major line of defense with regards to destroying free radicals.
* CoEnzyme Q10, uric acid, and phytochemicals. These are additional nutrients which have antioxidant properties, protecting the body from free radicals.
About the Author:
The author loves fruit juices and has created an entire blog dedicated to it. Read antioxidants to uncover fun facts and health benefits of fruit juices. If that wasn't enough to quench your thirst, click juice benefits.