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 an electron to free radicals, antioxidants protect against cell damage. It is vital to have foods that provide antioxidants regularly to stay in a healthy condition. Many vegetables and fruits are a great supply of antioxidants thanks to vitamins C and E. These vitamins are acknowledged to be among the best antioxidants. Veggies and fruits such as strawberry, kiwi, papaya, spinach, bell pepper, and broccoli are a wonderful supply of vitamin E and C. However these vitamins are not the only source of antioxidants and in reality 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 were many laboratory tests concerning the effects of green tea on cancer cells. The results suggest the usage of 300mg of EGCG on a daily basis to be the best amount. One cup of tea offers about 100mg of EGCG. Much more experiments are on the way, but for right now 3 cups every day looks like a good amount.

There are quite a few ways to take in green tea. Standard way is to brew and to drink the tea. This really is good particularly if taken while eating a meal. Another preferred method is to add green tea powder to drinking water. Combining citrus juice with EGCG is actually known to multiply the benefits. More practical way is to take green tea capsules. This is great for folks not liking the bitter green tea flavor.




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