Antioxidant Diet – how food affects your health
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Is there a special diet called antioxidant diet? As people age,
without a proper diet, the may begin to follow the path of the tin
man in the Wizard of Oz. Their systems may begin to show signs of
becoming rusty, which Dorothy was able to cure with oil. Research
has shown that an antioxidant diet not only works as a rust remover,
but also a rust inhibitor.
This parallel is drawn to help explain what happens in your body
when certain biological functions are inhibited by free radicals
flowing freely in the blood stream. Free radicals are atoms or groups
of atoms with an odd number of electrons, which can attach themselves
to cells or cell membranes, which causes an interruption in the
function of the cells. The benefit of an antioxidant diet is they
offer themselves as a sacrifice to the free radicals to prevent
them from attaching to other cells.
Antioxidant diets keep your joins healthy
The use of antioxidants was initially used in lubricants and fuels
to stop the oxidation of parts they touched. When it was found,
that in a medical sense, the free radicals were working similarly
as an oxidation agent researchers learned that an antioxidant diet
could halt their effects and, in some instances, reverse them.
Natural antioxidant foods
Vitamins
A, C and beta-carotene have shown to be a rich source of antioxidants
and when part of an antioxidant diet, basically sweep the free radicals
from your system. This can help explain how some people, even with
a family history or certain diseases, escape serious illness while
other family members do not. Their antioxidant diet keeps the free
radicals from causing any, or more, damage.
FOOD ANTIOXIDANTS AT WORK
When food is metabolized it causes production of free radicals
and foods high in antioxidants help to stave off the aging effects
and it is a... (read more) |
Exercise is good but can damage your health as well
Vigorous exercise can increase the oxygen use of the body, which
generates more free radicals. Some research has shown that those
who exercise regularly, are rarely affected, one way or the other,
by an antioxidant diet, those who only exert vigorous exercise occasionally,
exhibit signs of producing more free radicals than their intake
of antioxidants and may actually be doing more harm than good with
their occasional bursts of exercise.
How much antioxidants do we need in our diet?
Unfortunately, even the most recent studies have not been able
to determine the appropriate amount of antioxidants that are needed
in an antioxidant diet. Studies have shown that in a normal antioxidant
diet, Vitamin E and beta-carotene works as antioxidants but with
a too-high intake, they can work as a pro-oxidant and actually cause
additional harm. To determine if an antioxidant diet is necessary
for you, consultation with your physician is highly recommended
before beginning supplements as part of an antioxidant diet. Antioxidant
foods are good for you on many levels, so include them in your diet
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