One of the biggest gifts of Mother Nature
Dear readers, nowadays, most people are afflicted with a number of diseases. Our life is tremendously threatened by heart diseases, diabetes, cancer of different types, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, renal disease, diseases due to cellular mutations and many others. In this article, I will share one of the biggest gifts of Mother Nature to us to minimize our health problems.
Can you guess what it is?
Yes, you have guessed it right. This is antioxidant. An antioxidant is a molecule that slows down the oxidation of other molecules. Usually, in the broader sense, oxidation is a type of chemical reaction that can generate free radicals, leading to chain reactions that may damage and affect cells. Antioxidants are substances that may prevent or delay some types of cell damage. Mother Nature, the most influential scientist of the Universe, has infused Antioxidants in many foods, including fruits and vegetables.
Types and benefits of antioxidants
Surely you are interested to know about antioxidants. Isn’t it?
The benefits of antioxidants are incredibly significant to good health. This is due to the fact that, if free radicals are left unchallenged, they can cause a broad array of illnesses and chronic diseases. Our human body naturally produces lots of free radicals and the role of antioxidants is to counteract their damaging effects. However, in most cases, free radicals far outnumber the naturally occurring antioxidants. In order to maintain the subtle balance, a continual supply of external sources of antioxidants is necessary in order to obtain the maximum benefits of antioxidants. The way antioxidants benefit the body is usually by neutralizing and removing the free radicals from the bloodstream.
At those times, when the skin is exposed to relatively high levels of ultraviolet light, photo-oxidative damage is induced due to the generation of diverse types of reactive species of oxygen. This includes singlet oxygen, superoxide radicals, and peroxide radicals. These forms of reactive oxygen are chiefly responsible for the damage of cellular lipids, proteins and DNA. These are considered to be the primary contributors to erythema (sunburn), premature aging of the skin, photodermatoses, and skin cancers. Singlet oxygen can compromise the immune system, because it has the capability to catalyze production of free radicals.
In order to protect the skin from reactive species of oxygen, Astaxanthin, followed by beta-carotene combined with vitamin E has been shown to be one of the most powerful antioxidants. Astaxanthin and Spirulina have been proven to improve both the non-specific and specific immune system. Both of these have a significant contribution to protect cell membranes and cellular DNA from mutation. It is worthy to mention in this context that, Astaxanthin is the single most powerful quencher of singlet oxygen and is up to ten times stronger than other carotenoids (including beta-carotene) and up to 500 times stronger than alpha tocopherol (Vitamin E), whereas Spirulina contains a variety of antioxidants and other substances that are beneficial in enhancing immunity.
Antioxidants such as thiols or ascorbic acid (vitamin C) are also of immense significance as they can terminate the chain reactions once initiated by the free radicals. In the context of today’s polluted world, increasing one’s antioxidant intake is indispensable for good health. This is primarily because the body just can’t keep up with antioxidant production, a good amount of these vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and enzymes must come from one’s daily diet. If we are able to increase our antioxidant intake, it can help us by providing added protection for the body against: mood disorders, eye problems, heart problems, memory problems, immune system problems.
Two different groups of substances are mainly used for the term “antioxidant”. Often industrial chemicals are added to products to prevent oxidation. Many times, natural chemicals are found in foods and body tissue which are said to have beneficial health effects. To maintain the balance of the oxidative state, plants and animals preserve complex systems of overlapping antioxidants, such as glutathione and enzymes (e.g., catalase and superoxide dismutase) produced internally or by the dietary antioxidants: vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E.
