What are antioxidants? How to protect body cells from the oxidation process and damage.

antioxidants

Plant foods, such as vegetables, fruits, and whole-grain foods contain elements beneficial to our health, researches support that some of these foods can delay the occurrence of many age-related diseases. After more research, some bioactive components have been identified in food, such as antioxidants, which are believed that be responsible for maintaining health and for improving it.

Antioxidants are substances or nutrients found in our foods that can slow or even prevent the oxidative damage made to our body when the body’s cells use oxygen, so we can say that antioxidants help the body fight harmful substances that oxidize the body’s cells, which we are exposed to daily, the process of oxidation damage the body’s cells and destroy them as the rust does with the iron, and that exposes us to many diseases.

Yes! Antioxidants help protect body cells from the oxidation process and damage due to many factors, such as, ultraviolet radiation, smoking, air pollution, and inflammation of the tissue, and studies have shown that eating adequate amounts of antioxidants may increase the effectiveness of the immune system in the body and thus help in reducing the risk of heart disease, some cancer diseases, premature aging, Parkinson’s diseases, and blue water which affects eyes, so, when asking about health benefits of the antioxidants, and where we can get them to achieve those benefits, then we can say that supplying the body with such elements by eating foods saturated with it, is the best choice compared to the bills.

Researchers have confirmed that antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, carotene, lycopene material, U Tin, and many others, play positive roles in various disease prevention or mitigation, and it is believed that the utilization of the provision of such chemicals is to assist in the balance and cancel the effects of harmful chemicals of the type of free radicals.

Free radicals are chemical substances and can be considered as types of toxins, those toxins are produced in the living cells as collateral results of biological processes that happen in the chemical reactions of metabolism, and although the human body produces substances that can work as antioxidants, that is not enough to eliminate all those harmful toxins, as well as the ability of the body to keep producing such substances, decreases with age, in addition, the human body can’t produce important vitamins and antioxidants such as vitamin C.

The most important antioxidants are Ascorbic acid (vitamin C), Glutathione, Lipoic acid, Uric acid, Carotenes,  Tocopherol (vitamin E), and Ubiquinol (coenzyme Q).

Examples of products that contain antioxidants: Different kinds of berries, colored beans, apples without de-crust, avocados, oranges, kiwi, dates, pineapple, pomegranates, grapes, broccoli, mallow, watercress, parsley, tomatoes, pepper hot or cold, tore or green, coffee, colored beans, nuts, pistachios, almonds, cinnamon, ginger, wheat, and oats, these are all examples of the types of plant products rich in antioxidants.

These vitamins and other antioxidants available in natural products, within the cluster of different fruits, with minerals and fibers, make the body absorbs easily and benefits in a better way, especially regarding cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases, all that considered a clear proof of how natural foods are important to our bodies.

JeffN

Amna Sheikh is a medical doctor with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), Bachelors in Economics and Statistics.  She is also a medical writer working as a freelancer for 10+ years and she is specialized in medical, health, and pharmaceutical writing, regulatory writing & clinical research. All her work is supported by a strong academic and professional experience.
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