Ever wondered what Antioxidants are good for? Antioxidants are often debated for their health benefit and prevention of diseases. But few people know how they function.Today we answer: What are antioxidants good for? We will have a look at what antioxidants actually are and how they can support our health.
What are antioxidants good for?
Antioxidants are powerful compounds. They can be found in a wide selection of foods but often they come from fresh fruits and vegetables.
Their ability to fight against the oxidation of certain molecules in the body make them interesting for human health. However their mechanism is complex.
First we will explain to you what antioxidants are and then we explore their mechanism and function for our health.
What are Antioxidants
The term antioxidant is often used for two completely separate groups of substances.
The first is chemical compounds that are used in the food and make up industry to prevent oxidation.
These industrial antioxidants help to preserve food and make up products.
The second group of antioxidants is the compounds that are naturally prevent in food. This group functions in the protection of our cells.
Well known antioxidants are for example vitamin C and E. These organic compounds are crucial for our health. A list of antioxidants found in our diet are:
- Vitamin A / Beta-carotene
- Lutein
- Lycopene
- Selenium
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
Click on the antioxidant to learn about their function, good sources and more.
What are antioxidants good for – How do they work?
Antioxidants work due to their interaction with free Radicals. These free radicals are compounds we encounter every day of our lives.
Free radicals come from polluted air, the conversion of food in our body and sunlight. Free radicals can damage our cells by oxidation. The electron part of free radicals is eager to oxidize molecules nearby.
Antioxidants as the word implies, works as an anti oxidant. And they can prevent the oxidation free radicals are tempted to cause.
They are capable of neutralizing free radicals by reacting with them. After this, the free radicals can do no more harm to our cells.
A small note on free radicals is that they are not only bad for health. Free radicals also for example help in fighting of bacteria. The body needs a balance between antioxidants and free radicals (source).
What are antioxidants good for: The Health Benefits
Antioxidants are crucial for good health. Humans need antioxidants at any tine.
Not only do they assist in maintaining a healthy body, they also help to prevent diseases.
Different antioxidants work on different parts of the body. For example, beta carotene is beneficial for good eyesight and flavonoids helps in maintaining a healthy heart.
Main health benefits of antioxidants:
- Slowing down signs of aging
- Longer life
- Maintains heart health
- lowers the risk to infections
- Strengthen the immune system.
- Prevents certain types of cancer
- Reduced risk of vision loss
- Reduced risk of dementia
(Source 1, 2, 3, 4)
Sources of antioxidants and Supplements
The largest USDA study on antioxidants has been conducted in 2004 and contains a list of foods and their level of antioxidants. Underneath you can see a list of the foods with the highest amount of antioxidants.
In this table you can see the type of Food, Serving Size and Antioxidant Capacity Per Serving.
| Rank | Food item | Serving size | Total antioxidant capacity per serving size |
| 1 | Small Red Bean (dried) | Half cup | 13727 |
| 2 | Wild blueberry | 1 cup | 13427 |
| 3 | Red kidney bean (dried) | Half cup | 13259 |
| 4 | Pinto bean | Half cup | 11864 |
| 5 | Blueberry (cultivated) | 1 cup | 9019 |
| 6 | Cranberry | 1 cup (whole) | 8983 |
| 7 | Artichoke (cooked) | 1 cup (hearts) | 7904 |
| 8 | Blackberry | 1 cup | 7701 |
| 9 | Prune | Half cup | 7291 |
| 10 | Raspberry | 1 cup | 6058 |
| 11 | Strawberry | 1 cup | 5938 |
| 12 | Red Delicious apple | One | 5900 |
| 13 | Granny Smith apple | One | 5381 |
| 14 | Pecan | 1 ounce | 5095 |
| 15 | Sweet cherry | 1 cup | 4873 |
| 16 | Black plum | One | 4844 |
| 17 | Russet potato (cooked) | One | 4649 |
| 18 | Black bean (dried) | Half cup | 4181 |
| 19 | Plum | One | 4118 |
| 20 | Gala apple | One | 3903 |
(USDA Source 1, Source 2)
Should I take Antioxidant Supplements
Having enough antioxidants in our diet is important. Some people take antioxidant supplements to make sure they reach their daily needs.
Others believe extra antioxidants from supplements can boost their health.
Research tells us that a diet high in antioxidants can have benefits for our health.
Taking supplements to reach these benefits remains controversial. It is not clear if supplements are as effective as antioxidants from the diet.
One study in 2007 concluded that the supplementation of beta carotene, vitamin A and vitamin E may increase mortality. There was no conclusion on vitamin C or selenium. Another study had the same conclusion on vitamin A and E. In this one selenium supplementation has been shown to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal cancer.
One more study on free radicals and antioxidant supplements in athletes shows no conclusion on the benefits of supplementation. The advice in this study remains to take up enough antioxidants from the diet.
There is still al lot to learn when it comes to antioxidants and supplementation. More research on this topic will give us better insight in the effects of supplementation.
For now the advice is to focus on obtaining your antioxidants from a healthy diet full of variety. This is off course unless you have a deficiency diagnosed by you doctor.
We hope: What are antioxidants good for? Health benefits & Function was useful to you. Check out our vitamin page to learn more about antioxidants and where to get them from.
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