Guest guest Posted January 19, 2003 Report Share Posted January 19, 2003 Antioxidants have been around since life began. Basically they are natural substances found in plants and animals that protect the fats, oils, proteins, and nucleic acids from premature aging and destruction from ultraviolet light found in sunlight, cosmic radiation, chemicals, internally generated free radicals, etc. Certain spices such as ginger and turmeric were used as natural food " preservatives " long before the word " antioxidant " was coined. Basically, certain spices, herbs and nutrients, called antioxidants, help prevent damage to fats, oils, proteins, and nucleic acids in plant and animal tissues by neutralizing destructively active molecules called " free radicals. " Examples of damage include rancid butter, rancid cooking oils and older refrigerated cooked meats. Rancidity is often described as an unfresh, refrigeratorlike taste. Other examples of antioxidant activity include extreme skin wrinkling on those who get excessive sun exposure. In this case, skin loses its flexibility because parallel protein fibers become cross-linked. Other examples include: car dashboards with sun and heat cracks, warped, wrinkled vinyl, cracked inflexible garden hoses left out in direct sunlight. Dietary antioxidants basically slow down free radical damage by quenching and neutralizing excess free radicals, and preventing their destructive effects upon the body's oils, fats, proteins, nucleic acids and other sensitive materials. While excess free radicals are undsirable, the body does need and use some free radicals it generates, such as hydrogen peroxide and the superoxide radical, as part of the immune system, to attack and kill invading bacteria. So, it is not desirable to eliminate all free radicals, just excess production which can damage the body's cells and tissues. Marko --------- Join in! New : ForMorHealth/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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