cardiac - Antioxidants - Your Best Defense Against Disease and Aging

Antioxidants - Your Best Defense Against Disease and Aging

by Brad Bahr

Studies support the benefits of eating a diet rich in
fruits and vegetables. This is due to their high
antioxidant value. Why are antioxidants so important?
Because they have a proven track record of fighting free
radicals.

Your body is being constantly attacked by very harmful
substances known as free radicals or oxygen radicals. Free
radicals can destroy your cells, tissues and organs.

Free radicals are highly unstable molecules that are
naturally formed inside our bodies by the process of
oxidation. They are normal by products of everyday
functions like digestion and physical activity. Free
radicals also come from outside sources, such as smoking,
environmental pollution, and synthetic chemicals that are
added to our water and food.

We are also all exposed daily to polluted air, ingest
oxidized or partially rancid foods, and oxidizing
radiations from the sun and various electrical appliances.

Free radicals lack one electron making them chemically
unstable. To stabilize themselves, they attack any other
substance within

reach and steel an electron from it. This
process creates a new free radical, which repeats the
process, producing a "domino effect." When this reaction is
uncontrolled, it can generate millions of free radicals
within seconds.

Fortunately our bodies come equipped with a free radical
fighting mechanism. It consists of specialized enzymes that
have a "spare" electron that they can give away without
turning into free radicals. In order to protect us, the
enzymes need help from certain substances known as
antioxidants.

The antioxidant value of any food or supplement can be
determined by it's ORAC rating. ORAC means Oxygen Radical
Absorbance Capacity. According to the University of
Michigan, Comprehensive Cancer Center, the measurement of
ORAC is a way to measure how many oxygen radicals a
specific food can absorb. The more oxygen radicals a food
can absorb, the higher its ORAC score. The higher its
score... the more that food or supplement will help you
fight diseases like cancer and heart disease.

Most experts agree that we should

consume 5,000 ORAC units
per day to effectively fight free radicals in the body.
Sadly, most of us average around 1,200 units per day. Not
nearly enough to protect us from the common ciseases of
aging.

One of the best sources of antioxidants are berries and
fruits. Most of us would have a very hard time eating the
large amounts necessary to reach 5,000 ORAC units per day.
For this reason, high ORAC supplements have been created.
They contain berry and fruit extracts with a known ORAC
rating. These supplements are inexpensive and provide many
health benefits to your entire body and brain. Many people
use these supplements as part of an anti-aging program.
Keeping your cells from being destroyed goes a long way to
staying healthy and young.

About the Author
About the author: Brad Bahr is the author of many health
related articles and websites. He has been testing and
reviewing health supplements for many years. You can find
more interesting health related articles at his website:
www.findustuff.com

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