What Is The Function Of Antioxidants In The Human Body?

By Peter Martin


A large number of medical doctors are advocating fruits and veggies to be included in a daily diet plan. There are a lot of great reasons to the recommendation; however one of the reasons would be the antioxidants that almost all fruit and veggies supply. However just what are antioxidants? What makes them so important?

Process of oxidation occurs in every single place from slice of pear turning brown to rust in a machine. This is a natural process that also exists in a human body. Our body handles oxidation well, but occasionally it results in cell damage. The damaged cells are known as free radicals. Free radicals are molecules with unpaired electron. Since it is unpaired, it will attempt to take an electron from other molecules. Anytime this activity gets intense, it can easily trigger quite a few health concerns like cancer, cardiovascular disease and arthritis. Cigarette smoke, pollution and radiation also lead to the growth of free radicals. Antioxidants are substances that neutralize 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 multiple ways to consume green tea. Traditional way is to make and to drink the hot tea. This is good way especially if consumed while having a meal. One other preferred way is to add green tea extract powder to vitamin water. Mixing citrus juice with EGCG has been identified to multiply the health rewards. A practical way is to have green tea capsules. This is good for individuals not liking the flavor.




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