Antioxidants
Antioxidants are compounds that protect cells (cell membranes) from potentially harmful effects or reactions to our body that can cause excessive oxidation. Antioxidants are able to neutralize oxygen free radicals.
The body's need for antioxidants increases every day.
For example, scientists estimate that by the age of fifty, approximately 30% of the protein in cells is debris due to free radical attacks. Fat molecules are especially vulnerable. Free radicals oxidize these fats and they spoil. Thus, antioxidants have long been used with great success in practice. For example, natural and synthetic antioxidants are used as food additives to increase the shelf life of certain foods that contain fats and vitamins, such as:
lemon acid;
- pectin;
- ascorbic acid (vitamin C);
- butylhydroxytoluene BHT;
- butylhydroxyanisole BHA;
- dihydroquercetin;
- anthocyanins;
- Trilon B (EDTA), etc.
They are everywhere: in creams for rejuvenation, in medicines, they are part of dietary supplements, they are added to animal feed. Antioxidants can prolong the healthy life of cells in the body by halting the aging process.
Our health and mood depend primarily on how we eat. Experts say that any fruit or vegetable we eat will contribute to the fight against free radicals, and therefore aging. Today, more than 100 types of antioxidants are known. Many of them are produced by the body itself, but they are not enough to fight free radicals. Therefore, in order to maintain its health, the body must receive antioxidants from food.
Where are antioxidants found?
They are found in sprouted grains, cold-pressed vegetable oils, and cereals. Here is a list of plants that contain the most antioxidants:
1. Sage (herb).
2. Rosemary (herb).
3. Chamomile (flowers).
4. Kalina (fruits).
5. Carrots (fruits).
6. Hawthorn (fruit).
7. Pomegranate (seeds).
8. Walnut (leaf).
9. Rosehip (seeds).
10. Parsley (fruit).
11. Green tea (leaf).
12. Yarrow (herb).
13. Rowan (fruits).
14. Bitter wormwood (herb).
15. Grapes (fruits).
16. Sea buckthorn (fruits).
17. Fennel (fruit).
Those who have fresh vegetables and fruits in their daily diet have no reason to worry too much. However, those who often consume hamburgers and chips and do not follow the diet at all should think about it.
There are special dietary supplements that contain antioxidants. Such drugs, as a rule, reduce the absorption of harmful components by the body and act in the digestive tract as a powerful adsorbent.
It is important to know that antioxidants are easily degraded by the following factors:
smoking;
- frequent sunbathing in a solarium or in the sun;
- susceptibility to disease or age over 50 years;
- large metropolis, no walks in nature.
There is a myth that antioxidants present in cosmetics increase their effectiveness. It was invented by manufacturers. In fact, they simply protect the cream from oxidation in the air. Since most antioxidants have large molecules, they cannot penetrate the skin. The daily intake of antioxidants in food will help to stop aging of the skin. True, there are special preparations of nutricosmetics that supply antioxidants from the inside to the skin. They can complement the anti-aging process.
So, we found out that antioxidants are a group of biologically active substances that:
neutralize free radicals;
- suppress the activity of free radicals;
- disrupt the process of formation of free radicals in the body;
- restore the normal state of the body.
You need to try to ensure that these substances are present in your daily diet.
Author: Zhanna Sh. (Specially for Calorizator.ru)
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