The body is able to deal with particular free radicals and indeed requires them to function efficiently. However, an excess of free radicals is believed to impact on certain diseases, such as heart disease, liver disease and some cancers. Oxidation and the production of free radicals can be increased by smoking, alcohol, stress, pollution and other environmental factors.
Antioxidants are important to your health and longevity. They stop and can even reverse the oxidation harm done to your tissues' cells.
What Are Antioxidants?
Antioxidants are biochemical substances that work by neutralizing free radicals--loose electrons that are released into the bloodstream when the body's tissues interact chemically with oxygen. But antioxidants react with these free radicals, thereby neutralizing them. Then they get passed out of the body via the natural waste-disposal processes of the body, and the impact of the damage that free radical can cause is reduced.
Antioxidants are found in many foods: vegetables, fruits, herbs, tea, coffee, and legumes are rich with them. To reduce the damage from free radical then some of these foods should be consumed every day, and dietary antioxidant supplements derived from them also may also be considered,
Benefits of Antioxidants
A great deal of clinical research has been done to determine just in what ways antioxidants help us. It is proven that they have many benefits that you really don't want to do without.
* Immune System Enhancement. Free radicals in your system over time overloads your immune system.
* Cancer Prevention. When oxidation damages cells, they become more susceptible to breakdowns and mutations and the risk of cancer increases.
* Better Eyesight. The macular degeneration that happens to most people over time is believed to be related, at least in large part, to oxidation. If you have an antioxidant-rich diet, you may be able to slow down, prevent, and in some cases reverse macular degeneration and have excellent eyesight well into your old age.
Richest Sources of Antioxidants
If you want to be very certain that you are getting sufficient levels of antioxidants in your diet, select from the following foods on a daily basis:
* Kale
* Broccoli
* Spinach
* Blueberries
* Red bell peppers
* Beets
* Black, purple, or red grapes
* Cherries
* Oranges
* Raisins
* Berries
* Prunes
Some health professionals recommended that you get nine servings of antioxidant-rich foods every day. That might sound like an overwhelming task, but the "servings" don't have to be large and you can get two or three of at one time. One way of getting your servings in is also to drink them. You can juice your fruits and veggies and drink green, white, or black tea. And, as mentioned before, even coffee contains antioxidants. So does chocolate, in fact--however, you need to watch all that sugar in commercially processed chocolates. And, as mentioned above, you can use dietary supplements derived from antioxidant-rich foods to help yourself, too or antioxidant vitamin supplements.
It is probably obvious that with a better immune system and reduced risk of cancer, you may be able to more easily fend off illness and diseases, have greater energy, and live longer. If you don't have an antioxidant-rich diet then now might be the time to considering increasing the amount of antioxidants in your diet either through food or supplementation.
Any information, advice, recommendations, statements or otherwise contained herein, or in any other communication made by or attributed to Eastern Suburbs Massage and its representatives, whether oral or in writing, is not intended to replace or to be a substitute for medical advice trained by a trained physician or healthcare practitioner.
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