B5150
Legend
- Awards
- 3
Antioxidants The How The Why and The What
Antioxidants perform the important function of neutralizing free radicals. Free radicals are the brain?s most malicious enemies. The brain largely consists of fat cells, which provide the free radicals. The process by which oxygen reacts with fat molecules is called oxidation ? basically producing rancid fat. The brain can literally become rancid and is constantly threatened by this process. Stress hormones, diets which include trans fats, and other toxins in our environment add to the load of free radicals.
In spite of the heavy hits our brain cells take from free radicals hour by hour, antioxidants can repair 99% plus of this damage.
Antioxidants are Team Players
When one antioxidant is depleted in an area of the body, others rush to renew it. This newly understood antioxidant network is what provides real protection from the ravages of free radicals.
The Antioxidant Superstars Are:
Vitamin E
Vitamin C
Glutathione ? (research indicates that you cannot effectively supplement this)
Coenzyme Q10
Lipoic acid ? makes glutathione available, along with resuscitating vitamin E in particular, strongly contributing to glucose stability.
Lipoic acid?s brilliant role is to resuscitate all the other network antioxidants ? as well as itself!
Antioxidants can even save you from genetic destiny: They block free radicals from passing through the membrane of the nucleus into the cloistered chamber where genes are located. This in effect stops the DNA from activating disease-prone genes.
The scientific evidence is overwhelming that eating antioxidant-packed fruits and vegetables, as well as antioxidant vitamins, protects against free-radical damage.
Antioxidants slow the aging process of the entire body, and are particularly necessary to brain health. Some health providers claim we can get all needed vitamins from proper diet. This might be true under absolutely optimum conditions free of stress, toxins and dietary infractions. However, most of us live in a world full of exposure to stress, toxins and french fries. I don?t know anyone who eats that perfect diet. Well-informed supplementation gives many people the margin of health they need.
Best Foods for Antioxidant Value:
Fresh, organic fruits and vegetables with the deepest colors tend to have the highest value. Black and green teas and red wine are all very high in antioxidants.
Some of the highest rated fruits and vegetables:
Prunes, raisins, blackberries, blueberries, garlic, kale, cranberries, strawberries, spinach, raspberries, Brussels sprouts, plums, alfalfa sprouts, broccoli, beets, avocado, oranges, grapes, red peppers, cherries, kiwi, beans, grapefruit, kidney beans, onion, corn. New on the scene: Goji berries and raw cacao nuts. And don?t forget chocolate! The darker the better.
Spinach and strawberries are both extraordinarily powerful in restoring brain function. A medium-sized spinach salad daily for a week to ten days, along with a bowl of strawberries daily, has been shown to dramatically restore normal brain function. To rejuvenate your brain and actually reverse antioxidant damage, blueberries show the most dramatic effect. Add Vitamin E to this ten day experiment and you may notice a measurable change in your brain function.
Lycopene has also shown specific benefits, particularly in the ability to continue to perform daily functions well into very old age. The more lycopene in the blood, according to an extensive study still going on by Dr. David Snowdon at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, the sharper mental acuity in old age. Eating processed tomatoes (which effectively concentrates the lycopene) in the form of tomato paste, tomato sauce, and tomato puree boosts blood?s antioxidant capacity dramatically and can drop the effect of free radicals by as much as 33%.
The best way to get scads of antioxidant power with miniscule calories: Drink brewed tea.
Black tea has on average about 80% more antioxidant capacity than green tea. However, green tea has four times more EGCG, and is preferred in Japan. Epigallocatechin (EGCG) is a specific antioxidant which is highly favorable. In one test by Italian researchers, drinking a single cup of strong black or green tea revved antioxidant activity in the blood by 41 to 48%.
Studies indicate that consuming antioxidants even late in life can help reverse mental decline which has already occurred. So let?s get started today, creating healthy, vibrant brains!
(c) Suzanna Stinnett
Suzanna Stinnett is the author of "Little Shifts," (Sourcebooks, 2004), and "The Quiet Victory," (available at BookLocker.com). She writes articles and books about the brain as well as the mind, and teaches classes in creativity in Northern California. Visit her blog "The Brain Whisperers" at The Brain Whisperers
By: Suzanna Stinnett
Antioxidants perform the important function of neutralizing free radicals. Free radicals are the brain?s most malicious enemies. The brain largely consists of fat cells, which provide the free radicals. The process by which oxygen reacts with fat molecules is called oxidation ? basically producing rancid fat. The brain can literally become rancid and is constantly threatened by this process. Stress hormones, diets which include trans fats, and other toxins in our environment add to the load of free radicals.
In spite of the heavy hits our brain cells take from free radicals hour by hour, antioxidants can repair 99% plus of this damage.
Antioxidants are Team Players
When one antioxidant is depleted in an area of the body, others rush to renew it. This newly understood antioxidant network is what provides real protection from the ravages of free radicals.
The Antioxidant Superstars Are:
Vitamin E
Vitamin C
Glutathione ? (research indicates that you cannot effectively supplement this)
Coenzyme Q10
Lipoic acid ? makes glutathione available, along with resuscitating vitamin E in particular, strongly contributing to glucose stability.
Lipoic acid?s brilliant role is to resuscitate all the other network antioxidants ? as well as itself!
Antioxidants can even save you from genetic destiny: They block free radicals from passing through the membrane of the nucleus into the cloistered chamber where genes are located. This in effect stops the DNA from activating disease-prone genes.
The scientific evidence is overwhelming that eating antioxidant-packed fruits and vegetables, as well as antioxidant vitamins, protects against free-radical damage.
Antioxidants slow the aging process of the entire body, and are particularly necessary to brain health. Some health providers claim we can get all needed vitamins from proper diet. This might be true under absolutely optimum conditions free of stress, toxins and dietary infractions. However, most of us live in a world full of exposure to stress, toxins and french fries. I don?t know anyone who eats that perfect diet. Well-informed supplementation gives many people the margin of health they need.
Best Foods for Antioxidant Value:
Fresh, organic fruits and vegetables with the deepest colors tend to have the highest value. Black and green teas and red wine are all very high in antioxidants.
Some of the highest rated fruits and vegetables:
Prunes, raisins, blackberries, blueberries, garlic, kale, cranberries, strawberries, spinach, raspberries, Brussels sprouts, plums, alfalfa sprouts, broccoli, beets, avocado, oranges, grapes, red peppers, cherries, kiwi, beans, grapefruit, kidney beans, onion, corn. New on the scene: Goji berries and raw cacao nuts. And don?t forget chocolate! The darker the better.
Spinach and strawberries are both extraordinarily powerful in restoring brain function. A medium-sized spinach salad daily for a week to ten days, along with a bowl of strawberries daily, has been shown to dramatically restore normal brain function. To rejuvenate your brain and actually reverse antioxidant damage, blueberries show the most dramatic effect. Add Vitamin E to this ten day experiment and you may notice a measurable change in your brain function.
Lycopene has also shown specific benefits, particularly in the ability to continue to perform daily functions well into very old age. The more lycopene in the blood, according to an extensive study still going on by Dr. David Snowdon at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, the sharper mental acuity in old age. Eating processed tomatoes (which effectively concentrates the lycopene) in the form of tomato paste, tomato sauce, and tomato puree boosts blood?s antioxidant capacity dramatically and can drop the effect of free radicals by as much as 33%.
The best way to get scads of antioxidant power with miniscule calories: Drink brewed tea.
Black tea has on average about 80% more antioxidant capacity than green tea. However, green tea has four times more EGCG, and is preferred in Japan. Epigallocatechin (EGCG) is a specific antioxidant which is highly favorable. In one test by Italian researchers, drinking a single cup of strong black or green tea revved antioxidant activity in the blood by 41 to 48%.
Studies indicate that consuming antioxidants even late in life can help reverse mental decline which has already occurred. So let?s get started today, creating healthy, vibrant brains!
(c) Suzanna Stinnett
Suzanna Stinnett is the author of "Little Shifts," (Sourcebooks, 2004), and "The Quiet Victory," (available at BookLocker.com). She writes articles and books about the brain as well as the mind, and teaches classes in creativity in Northern California. Visit her blog "The Brain Whisperers" at The Brain Whisperers
By: Suzanna Stinnett
