Anti-Oxidants – Beneficial Nutrients – When Obtained from Food

We’ve all heard how beneficial antioxidants are for our health. But did you know that they’re much more effective when you obtain them from real foods instead of chemical substances? Food state anti-oxidants are rather like concentrated food anti-oxidants.

Antioxidants from chemical sources like other commercially produced supplements are a bit of a grey area. Some clinical trials have shown a degree of benefit from chemically derived antioxidants whereas others have shown them to be potentially damaging.

What we can be sure of is that anti-oxidants from food are much more beneficial than synthetic chemical anti-oxidants – even when these chemical anti-oxidants are legally called “Natural”.

What are anti-oxidants?

Anti-oxidants are a group of beneficial substances that protect us from toxic chemicals. Their benefits include:

• Help deactivate and render undesirable toxic substances harmless
• They help reduce the risks of developing chronic ailments
• Inhibit the bad LDL form of cholesterol from building up and clogging arteries
• Active nutrients with an important role in several processes that can slow premature ageing

Obtaining our anti-oxidants from foods is the very best way of getting these beneficial nutrients. The food sources are fruits, berries and many vegetables. Anti-oxidants in most prepared foods including meats and poultry are in fact synthetic substances classified by many health professionals as toxic and harmful.

Anti-oxidant Supplements

As mentioned briefly above, the majority of anti-oxidants sold are in fact chemicals (legally called “Natural”). These chemicals are listed on supplement labels.

Free radicals are an essential component of the oxidation process responsible for energy production within the body.  Most free radicals generated during this process are short-lived intermediates which do no harm – their short life is expended in the process of oxidation.

Why we need anti-oxidants

The prefix “anti” means against, in opposition to, or corrective in nature. Within the human body, millions of processes are occurring at all times. These processes require oxygen and energy to be able to function. Unfortunately, though, that same life-giving oxygen can create harmful side effects or pro-oxidant substances, which can cause cell damage and lead to chronic disease.

During the body’s energy production process, a small number of free radicals escape to become harmful free radicals that can, and do, cause harm in other parts of the body.

Harmful free radicals can accelerate the ageing process because their presence can increase shortening of telomeres. Telomeres are part of chromosomes within our DNA that are important in cell division and ageing.

Anti-oxidants in food are thought to help inhibit the age-related shortening of telomeres. Specific vitamins, minerals and other nutrients from our diet protect cells from damage caused by the harmful free radicals. However, when people are not getting enough anti-oxidants in their diet, free radicals can go unchecked and cause damage to many cells in the body, leading to premature ageing and degenerative diseases.

Stress and harmful free radicals

Food crops that feed both humans and animals are much lower in nutrients compared to 70 years ago. The reduced or lack of nutrients also contributes to stress within our body.

Other stress factors include processed food, environmental toxins, food additives, pesticides, pollution and radiation, frequent strenuous exercise, alcoholic beverages and cigarette smoke. Many types of stress that we experience, whether physical or mental, can add to the creation of damaging harmful free radicals in our body.

Anti-oxidants and the immune system

Food source anti-oxidants help to protect our immune system and heart from several types of adverse substances, They also help the heart to use oxygen efficiently, reducing oxidative stress.

Food State anti-oxidant has been shown in research to act positively within the body to combat, deactivate and eliminate toxic substances including harmful free radicals. Because it is made from real food, the adverse reactions you would get from a chemical anti-oxidant do not occur. Our anti-oxidant formula also contains Coenzyme Q10. Here are a few facts about Q10:

• The body’s ability to absorb Coenzyme Q10 declines in tandem with the aging process. Endogenous Coenzyme Q10 synthesis begins to decline after the age of 20.
• Brain levels of Coenzyme Q10 decline markedly after the age of 50.
• Elderly people have only 50% of the levels of Coenzyme Q10 found in young people.

References available

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Disclaimer

NOTE: The information in this document is not intended to replace orthodox medical treatment. The information offered in this document is offered as additional complimentary information.