Understanding The Importance Of Antioxidants

By Jonathan Judd


A lot of health experts are advocating fruit and veggies to be included in a daily diet. There are many good reasons to the advice; however one of the reasons is the antioxidants that almost all veggies and fruits supply. However what are antioxidants? Why are they so important?

Process of oxidation takes place all around us from piece of banana turning brownish color to rust in a machine. It is a natural activity which also occurs inside a body. Our body system generally copes with oxidation well, but sometimes it leads to cell damage. The damaged cells are called free radicals. Free radicals are molecules with unpaired electron. Because it is unpaired, it will try to steal an electron from another molecule. When this reaction becomes excessive, it could cause numerous health threats most notably cancer, cardiovascular disease and arthritis. Radiation, cigarette smoke and pollution also lead to the creation of free radicals. Antioxidants are substances that neutralize free radicals.

By giving an electron to free radicals, antioxidants protect against cell damage. It is vital to consume meals that provide antioxidants every day to stay in a healthy condition. Various veggies and fruits are a wonderful source of antioxidants because of vitamins E and C. Vitamins are known to be among the best antioxidants. Fruits and vegetables like strawberry, kiwi, papaya, spinach, bell pepper, and broccoli are a wonderful source of vitamin C and E. But these vitamins are not the sole source of antioxidants and in fact they are not the greatest source.

Increasingly more dieticians agree with the fact that Epigallocatechin or generally known as EGCG is a more powerful provider of antioxidants compared to vitamins C and E. A lot of experts agree that EGCG is 100 times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times more beneficial compared to vitamin E in eliminating free radicals. EGCG is a substance included in green tea. A number of the widely known tea positive effects include preventions against LDL cholesterol, depressive disorders, cardiovascular disease, cancer and weight gain.

There were a number of laboratory examinations pertaining to the effects of green tea on cancer cells. The results suggest the usage of 300mg of EGCG a day to be the ideal amount. A cup of tea includes roughly 100mg of EGCG. A lot more research studies are in the process, yet for right now 3 cups on a daily basis is a safe amount.

There are a number of methods to consume green tea. Conventional way is to brew and to drink the tea. This is great way particularly when consumed while eating meals. One other common way is to add tea powder to water. Mixing lemon juice with EGCG has been known to improve the health rewards. A simple way is to consume green tea capsules. This is good for folks disliking the taste.




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