Antioxidants and free radicals

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What are free radicals?

Free radicals (or oxidants) are in effect, poisons to the body that are made in all combustion (burning) processes and just some of these include - smoking, radiation, exhaust fumes, fried or barbecued food and normal body processes. Oxygen is the most important nutrient for our bodies, being needed by every cell constantly day in day out so that life can continue. We need oxygen to release the energy in food which is used in all of our body processes.

The only problem is that oxygen is chemically reactive and in normal bio-chemical reactions in the body it can become unstable and capable of oxidising neighbouring molecules. This can lead to cellular damage which can trigger inflammation, arterial damage, cancers and ageing.

What is an anti-oxidant?

Anti-oxidants protect us from these free radicals. These chemicals have the capability to dis-arm these poisons, preventing harmful oxidative reactions occuring, protecting our cells from being damaged by them. The best sources are found in fresh fruits and vegetables. The red and purple fruits are well known to us as being powerful antioxidants. They should preferably be organic, to cut down on the amount of chemicals we are exposed to. Some anti-oxidants are well known essential nutrients, like vitamins A and beta-carotene , the mineral selenium and vitamins C and E. They work best together.

Beta-carotene is found in red, orange and yellow vegetables and fruits. (carrots, sweet potatoes, dried apricots, squashes.) Vitamin C is found in abundance in fruit and vegetables if they are eaten raw, but is destroyed easily by heat when cooked (broccoli, peppers, kiwi fruit, berries, tomatoes) Vitamin E is found in seed foods including nuts, seeds, seed oils, peas, beans, corn and wholegrains. Brazil nuts are a particularly good source of selenium along with wholegrains, seeds, fish and red meat.

These are not the only ones however, there are many more being discovered all the time in foods like berries, grapes, tomatoes and broccoli and in herbs such as turmeric and ginkgo biloba that are very beneficial. Anti-oxidants help to boost your immune system, rid your body of harmful toxins, increase your resistance to infections and help to slow down the ageing process.

A great way of boosting your anti-oxidant intake is by eating plenty of coloured vegetables such as sweet potatoes, carrots, watercress, peas and broccoli frequently and only cooked lightly. steaming is a great way of doing this

Anti-oxidant status.

We all have differing needs for anti - oxidants, depending very much on your lifestyle and the environment in which you live. The higher your exposure to free radicals the greater your need for anti - oxidants will be in order for you to stay healthy.

Every time you smoke a cigarette you will be depleting your vitamin C levels as it emits a billion free radicals into your body. Being sat at a computer all day also increases your exposure to free radicals which is something that you may not have thought of.

Your ability to stay healthy and free from disease very much depends on the balance between your intake of free radicals compared to your intake of anti-oxidants. If the balance starts to tip towards ill health there are usually early warning signs such as frequent infections, or difficulty in getting rid of an infection, slow healing, thinner skin or excessive wrinkles for your age.

Another sign that your anti-oxidant status is low is you have trouble recovering from a high exposure to free radicals. For example, if you feel groggy or achy after a burst of exercise, or after being stuck in a traffic jam, or a room full of cigarette smoke. These may all indicate that your anti-oxidant status may need a boost.