Understanding The Importance Of Antioxidants

By Jonathan Judd


Most doctors are advising fruits and veggies to be included in a regular diet plan. There are lots of excellent reasons to the advice; however one of the reasons would be the antioxidants that most vegetables and fruits supply. Just what are antioxidants? What makes them so important?

Process of oxidation occurs in every single place from slice of potato turning brownish color to rust in a machine. This is a normal activity which also exists in a body. Human body usually controls oxidation well, but at times it causes cell damage. The damaged cells are known as free radicals. Free radicals are molecules with unpaired electron. Because it is unpaired, it will attempt to take an electron from another molecule. Once this action gets intense, it may lead to numerous health problems most notably cancer, heart disease and arthritis. Pollution, radiation and cigarette smoke are a factor in the growth of free radicals as well. Antioxidants are substances that neutralize free radicals.

By offering the missing electron to free radicals, antioxidants prevent cell damage. It is very important to consume nutrients that give antioxidants daily to live in a healthy condition. Lots of vegetables and fruits make the perfect source of antioxidants because of vitamins E and C. The vitamins are known to be among the best antioxidants. Vegetables and fruit like strawberry, kiwi, papaya, spinach, bell pepper, and broccoli are a good source of vitamin C and E. But these vitamins are not the only source of antioxidants and in reality they are not the best 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 lot of clinical studies about the effects of green tea on cancer cells. The end results indicate the serving of 300mg of EGCG daily to be the most ideal amount. A cup provides about 100mg of EGCG. Far more case studies are in the process, but for now 3 cups per day is an ideal 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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