Antioxidants have been shown to assist in a whole variety of ways of making us healthier.
They do this by being involved in prevention if cellular damage. Initially evidence showed that they could slow the aging process down.
Further research went on to prove their beenficial effects when dealing with cancer and heart disease. More recently there has been further research on how they might help as part of an exercise plan.
Beware the Radicals!
Whenever you exercise the body metabolises sugars and fats stored in the body in order to provide energy for movement. Part of this process involves oxygen reacting with the bodies energy reserves. During intensive exercise the body might need ten times more oxygen thanit normally uses in the resting state i.e. when we are doing very little.
During this process it becomes more likely that free radicals are created. Free radicals are atoms or molecules with an odd (unpaired) number of electrons. Simply put, this makes them highly reactive – until they become more stable they will try to react with any molecules nearby in order to pair up all their electrons.
Free radicals can start a chain of reactions and if they react with cell membranes or DNA then this can lead to a poorly functioning cell which might die or become defective. When defective cells continue to grow they can be a cause of cancer.
Antioxidants Fight Free Radicals
Antioxidants are the molecules that safely react with free radicals to stop them reacting with vital components of the body’s cellular system. In order to determine how well different food types deliver antioxidant properties the USDA publishes ORAC values. These are the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity values assigned to different foods.
The ORAC values show the likely effectiveness of diifferent types of foods and therefore how useful they might be as a body building supplement or helping someone who might want to lose weight.
