Antioxidants
Antioxidants are protective substances against free radicals and there is a lot to know about them. You can find out more about them and their occurrence in food here.
Protective substances against free radicals
Antioxidants react with free radicals before they can destroy or change important structures in the body. Free radicals are produced by UV rays, ozone pollution, nicotine, drugs, or environmental toxins, among other things.
What are antioxidants?
Antioxidants reduce or prevent oxidative processes. They capture the freely bonding, aggressive oxygen molecules by binding them to themselves. Bound oxygen molecules can no longer have an oxidative effect. Free radicals are also known as oxygen molecules that can bind. This results in the term radical scavenger for antioxidants.
Why are antioxidants important to us?
Oxidative processes are associated with various damage and degenerative processes in the human body. Typical aging processes, for example, are also essentially related to oxidative processes. It is primarily the cell-damaging quality of the free radicals that can negatively affect our health in the long term. If the body is suffering from oxidative stress, an excess of free radicals will be found.
Known natural antioxidants
With a varied diet characterized by fresh foods, we consume many antioxidants. The following:
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Secondary plant substances such as flavonoids, resveratrol, carotenoids
apply as antioxidants.
There are still many other antioxidants, such as certain proteins and enzymes, which are also partly produced by the body itself from other substances. Trace elements such as selenium, copper, zinc, and manganese are also correlated with antioxidant activity. The same applies to coenzyme Q10. It is also interesting in this context that certain antioxidants are already passed on to the infant with breast milk.
These foods contain many antioxidants
Antioxidants are therefore contained in fruit (e.g.: grapes, blueberries, elderberries, apples), vegetables, and high-quality vegetable oils, but also in green tea, coffee, soy, cocoa, various spices, and red wine. The secondary plant substances mentioned are particularly interesting in this context. Although secondary plant substances are not vital for the survival of a plant, they still fulfill important functions. Plants use these substances to protect themselves against various external environmental influences, such as UV radiation, pests, and other harmful factors. They have not yet been sufficiently researched about their effect on the human body. However, there is a growing number of indications that people often benefit greatly from the absorption of secondary plant substances. This specifically concerns the antioxidant effect of many of these secondary plant substances. In the meantime, people have become aware that the different antioxidants can often support one another in their effect. This may result in a possible synergistic effect, but it has not yet been scientifically researched.
Further information on oxidative stress
Free radicals are not per se harmful to the human organism. On the contrary, in small quantities they perform signal functions according to the type of messenger substances in our body. However, an excess of these free radicals leads to oxidative stress. According to current scientific findings, aging processes and diseases are thought to be often associated with oxidative stress.
The human body itself forms antioxidants from the inside out. Thus, the body's own defence system is also focused on defending against free radicals. Since these enter the body on an almost continuous basis, the willingness of the human immune system to defend is continuously re-activated, as with a vaccination.
The role of free radicals in the human body is a very complex one due to the relationships described.
Better as much as possible?
Current research indicates that the body forms a certain balance in terms of antioxidants and free radicals, even down to the level of the individual cell. This balance is important for the health of every person and the integrity of the cells. Therefore, the equation “More antioxidants = better health and longer youth” is unfortunately not so simple in fact. Here, it always depends on the person and his/her physical condition.
Can the activity of antioxidants be measured?
There are various measuring options available for the antioxidant activity of various substances. Many of the measurements are taken in body fluids. A substrate is thereby exposed to an attack by a free radical. An antioxidant administered in the same way as vitamin C, for example, develops antioxidant activity. It is now measured how long it takes for the substrate to oxidize. The longer this period is, the stronger the antioxidant capacity of the respective antioxidant. Sometimes you will find test names such as ORAC, TRAP, or TEAC in this context. These refer to measuring the antioxidant capacity.
Without further penetration into the body, it is possible to measure the status quo of antioxidants with certain light measurement methods via the skin, in which a laser is usually used.
Antioxidants as food additives
Several antioxidants are approved as food additives and have an E-number. They can be used for the preservation and stability of foodstuffs. Ultimately, many processes that spoil food are oxidative processes.
