How Do Antioxidants Work To Improve Health?

By Peter Martin


A lot of health specialists are promoting vegetables and fruits as part of a daily diet. There are many good reasons to the suggestion; however one of the reasons is antioxidants that many veggies and fruits offer. Exactly what are antioxidants? Why are they extremely important?

Process of oxidation exists in all places from slice of pear turning brown to rust on a metal pipe. This is a natural activity that also occurs in a body. Our body system generally controls oxidation well, but at times it causes cell damage. The damaged cells are referred to as free radicals, molecules with unpaired electron. Since it is unpaired, it will try to steal an electron from other molecules. Anytime this effect gets extreme, it may lead to various health threats most notably cancer, heart problems and arthritis. Pollution, radiation and cigarette smoke add up to the development of free radicals as well. Antioxidants are compounds that counteract free radicals.

By supplying the missing electron to free radicals, antioxidants protect against cell damage. It is recommended to have foods and nutrients that come with antioxidants regularly to stay healthy. Lots of vegetables and fruits are a fantastic supply of antioxidants thanks to vitamins E and C. Vitamins are known to be among the best antioxidants. Fruits and veggies such as strawberry, kiwi, papaya, spinach, bell pepper, and broccoli are a good supply of vitamin C and E. But these vitamins are not the only source of antioxidants and in fact they are certainly not the best source.

More and more dieticians agree with the fact that Epigallocatechin or generally known as EGCG may be a better supply of antioxidants compared to vitamins E and C. Most researchers agree that EGCG is 100 times more efficient than vitamin C and 25 times more beneficial compared to vitamin E in neutralizing free radicals. EGCG is a compound contained in tea. Many of the acknowledged green tea extract positive effects include preventions against depression, heart disease, cancer, weight gain and bad cholesterol.

There have been a lot of lab tests relating to the effects of green tea on cancer cells. The results indicate the dose of 300mg of EGCG each day to be the ideal amount. A cup of tea provides around 100mg of EGCG. More experiments are in the process, yet as for right now 3 cups per day seems to be a good amount.

Currently there are several ways to take green tea. Common way is to make and to drink the tea. This is good especially if consumed with a meal. Another preferred way is to mix green tea extract powder with lemon water. Combining citrus juice with EGCG has been identified to boost the positive effects. A practical way is to consume tea tablets. This is wonderful for people disliking the taste.




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