The body primarily requires antioxidants in order to neutralize the damaging effects associated with oxidation reactions. Heart disease sufferers and smokers in particular may benefit from taking in an increased amount of foods containing antioxidants or antioxidant supplements.
How to Increase Antioxidant Levels
Antioxidants are most commonly found in certain nutrients, although taking super foods such as goji berries can actually provide significantly more antioxidants than wholesome nutritious vegetables, like broccoli and spinach. In Nutrition in Essence Beardern (2006) highlights key sources of antioxidants, to include the following:
- vitamin A
- beta-carotene
- vitamin C
- vitamin E
- selenium
- orange foods such as carrots, apricots and pumpkin
- red foods such as cherries and tomatoes
- green foods such as avocados and leafy green vegetables
- blueberries
In The Essential Guide to Vitamins, Minerals and Herbal Supplements, Brewer (2010) identifies further foods recognised as being rich in antioxidants, as follows:
- dark chocolate (a great reason to treat yourself!)
- pecan nuts
- red kidney beans (tasty in chili con carne)
- walnuts
- pinto beans
- pomegranate
- red lentils
- hazelnuts
- cranberries (juice helps protect against cystitis)
Health Benefits of Antioxidants and Antioxidant Supplements
Antioxidants are crucial for helping the body to counteract harmful effects linked to oxidative reactions and free radicals. Among other health conditions, it is free radicals which are related to the development of cancer. According to Brewer (2010), key health benefits associated with eating a diet rich in antioxidants and/or taking antioxidant supplements, to include the following:
- protection against excessive free radical attacks
- help in balancing cholesterol levels
- regulation of blood pressure
- improvement in glucose control in diabetes sufferers
- boost in circulatory health
- maintaining healthy blood vessels
- reduction in risk of heart attack/heart disease risk
- lower risk of diabetes
Antioxidant supplements are extremely popular and are usually sourced from fruit and vegetable extracts such as spinach, bilberry and raspberry. Common individual antioxidant supplements are typically available from health food shops and pharmacies. Brewer (2010) identifies key antioxidant supplements to include bilberry, pine bark extracts, ginkgo, cat's claw, reishi and selenium. Due to the fact that certain vitamins such as vitamins A, C and E are all rich in antioxidants, it is also worth considering the benefits of taking a daily multivitamin supplement.
As highlighted above, having a diet rich in antioxidants, means eating brightly coloured fruit and vegetables such as tomatoes, cranberries, carrots and blueberries, as well as more unusual fruits including goji berries. Antioxidants have been recognised to provide multiple health benefits, primarily in terms of helping prevent heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cholesterol problems, poor circulation and some forms of cancer.
Sources:
Bearden, S. (2006) Nutrition in Essence London: Hodder Arnold
Brewer, S. (2010) The Essential Guide to Vitamins, Minerals and Herbal Supplements London: Constable Robinson
Kate Le Page - Kate Henning-Le Page writes about eating disorders, body image and recovery issues. She specializes in anorexia recovery.
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