Antioxidants: The Guys Wearing the White Hats
We hear a lot about antioxidants these days, but what are they and what do they do? To put a simple spin on it they are the good guys in the white hats who fight free radicals. They help to prevent cellular damage. What are free radicals, you say? They are the little gremlins that do damage to healthy cells and, if not stopped short, will damage the very DNA of the cell. They cause premature aging, cancer, heart problems, dementia and many other degenerative diseases. To wit: they are not very nice! They make very bad “house” guests. The damage comes when the cells use oxygen and cast off waste, or by-products. Free radicals, also called oxidative stress, cause serious damage if not corralled and carried off by antioxidants. That doesn’t mean you should stop breathing! Just consume more of the right foods! What are some sources of the "good guys"? There are many and it depends on which ones you are asking about. To sum it up-- They include but are not limited to: Beta-carotenes are converted by the body into vitamin A.
The mother of all antioxidants,
the master of them all---drum roll, please….ta-dah!Glutathione is a tripeptide made up of cysteine, glyceine, and glutamine. Without it the other "good guys" cannot do their jobs. Glutathione is literally the “glue” that adheres to free radicals and helps the body to eliminate them. It helps to send those pesky “house guests” on their merry way so that the cells can stay young and healthy. Glutathione is manufactured by a healthy body but a body that is stressed by pollution, heavy metals, emotional distress, medications, illness and age cannot manufacture it without assistance from a healthy diet. Foods that boost healthy levels are asparagus, avocados, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, spinach, garlic, onions, raw egg yolks and watercress. Taking supplemental antioxidants is generally not a good idea. Too much in the way of supplements can cause other problems. The healthiest way to get your antioxidants is from good, raw, organic foods. Vitamin A, for example if taken in large quantities can be toxic. Vitamin C is water soluble and less of a problem but could increase your trips to the bathroom, possibly irritating the urinary tract. “Let food be thy medicine” By eating foods high in antioxidants you have the added benefit of getting high fiber which has also been shown to prevent colon cancer. Certain supplements should only be taken under the direction of a health care professional. Other foods rich in these ingredients are coffee, peanuts, acai, cranberries, muscadine grapes and red wine. Resveratrol, an antioxidant found in red wine may even help prevent liver disease according to an article published in October in MedlinePlus, red wine may slow cirrhosis, a drinking-linked liver disease. The study was done on rats. It showed that the equivalent of one to two glasses of red wine can reduce the amount of fat stored in the liver. More than that and you just compound the problem. 
So eat your veggies, take a walk and kick back with a glass of red wine and be healthy! Keep your body and brain young!Return to Home Page
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