Are All Antioxidants Created Equal?

Antioxidants initially grabbed the attention of people in the 90s when the researchers of that era were able to find how oxidative damage by free radicals leads to so many health problems and what was the role of antioxidants in saving them. With the help of this finding and also because of the public’s awareness of health the antioxidant supplements developed rapidly. It was proved that antioxidants were equally vital for the human body as vitamins and minerals. 

As technology has evolved and people have started to enjoy the modern lifestyle, a heavy toll has taken place on our body due to pesticides, medicines, pollution,  stress, antibiotics, alcohol, unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, UV rays, etc. These are some of the most known factors which contribute to the production of free radicals. If these factors are left uncontrolled, the molecules present inside them damage our cells and tissues which lead us to many hazardous health diseases. Antioxidants are thus termed as the first line of defense against these toxic molecules. It acts as a natural savior and tries to balance the free radicals and thus help in keeping their oxidative damage to a minimum.

There are hundreds of antioxidants present amongst which the most common ones are Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin A (Beta-Carotene), Lycopene, Selenium, Zinc, Coenzyme Q10, Phytonutrients, Lutein, Zeaxanthin, and Natural Extracts like Curcumin, Grape Seed, Alfalfa, Cranberry. Every individual antioxidant serves a completely unique and different role from the other. There is also an antioxidant defense network where every individual antioxidant plays a specific role but also they all work together.  

This agreeable effect of antioxidants is one of the main reasons that many of the dietitians, nutritionists, and many other health promoters do advise people to eat a variety of healthy food which includes a wide range of fruit, vegetable, whole grains, and legumes.

According to many observational studies, it has been suggested that people who consume more antioxidant-rich foods have a lower risk of having diseases than people who do not consume them. According to a study published in October 2012 by the American Journal of Medicine, it was stated that more than 32,000 Swedish women for 10 years concluded that those women whose diets contained antioxidants had a 20% lower risk of having a heart attack compared to the women who consumed the least.

Below is the list of some of the most common antioxidants with their role and its common food sources which can be included in your daily diet. 

Take Away

A healthy and well-balanced diet should include varieties of antioxidant-rich foods such as fruits, green vegetables, seeds, berries, nuts, etc. are some of the best and are very effective for our body. You can also take supplements that should contain antioxidants and nutrients acquired from whole rich foods rather than synthetic sourced food. Oxyphyto by Curae Health has Essential Antioxidants, Vitamins with Phytonutrients, and Natural Extracts. It is a Vegan supplement, scientifically formulated to help fight free radicals, help in cell repair and body detoxification.