Understanding The Importance Of Antioxidants

By Jonathan Judd


A lot of health specialists are advising veggies and fruits to be included in a daily diet regime. There are plenty of good reasons to the advice, but one of the reasons is antioxidants that most fruits and veggies supply. Just what are antioxidants? Why are they so important?

Oxidation process exists in all places from piece of pear turning brownish color to rust on a piece of metal. It is a common activity that also happens inside a body. Our body handles oxidation well, but occasionally it leads to cell damage. The damaged cells are referred to as free radicals. Free radicals are molecules with unpaired electron. Due to the fact it is unpaired, it will try to take an electron from other molecules. Once this action becomes intense, it can cause various health problems such as cancer, heart disease and arthritis. Pollution, radiation and cigarette smoke lead to the growth of free radicals as well. Antioxidants are compounds that neutralize free radicals.

By offering the missing electron to free radicals, antioxidants prevent cell damage. It is very important to consume nutrients that give antioxidants daily to live in a healthy condition. Lots of vegetables and fruits make the perfect source of antioxidants because of vitamins E and C. The vitamins are known to be among the best antioxidants. Vegetables and fruit like strawberry, kiwi, papaya, spinach, bell pepper, and broccoli are a good source of vitamin C and E. But these vitamins are not the only source of antioxidants and in reality they are not the best source.

Increasingly more dieticians agree with the fact that Epigallocatechin or generally known as EGCG is a more powerful provider of antioxidants compared to vitamins C and E. A lot of experts agree that EGCG is 100 times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times more beneficial compared to vitamin E in eliminating free radicals. EGCG is a substance included in green tea. A number of the widely known tea positive effects include preventions against LDL cholesterol, depressive disorders, cardiovascular disease, cancer and weight gain.

There have been numerous clinical examinations about the impacts of green tea on cancer cells. The final results reveal the dosage of 300mg of EGCG on a daily basis to be the most ideal amount. A cup of tea contains about 100mg of EGCG. A lot more experiments are in the process, however for right now 3 cups daily appears to be a safe amount.

There are a number of methods to consume green tea. Conventional way is to brew and to drink the tea. This is great way particularly when consumed while eating meals. One other common way is to add tea powder to water. Mixing lemon juice with EGCG has been known to improve the health rewards. A simple way is to consume green tea capsules. This is good for folks disliking the taste.




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