Thursday, December 25, 2008

What is an Antioxidant?

By Collin James

I am sure by now you have heard all about the antioxidants found in green tea. But, do you know what antioxidants are or how they work. The quality of a antioxidant can help prevent harmful diseases such as cancer and heart disease. I suppose your wandering why anything that is anti-oxygen can be good for your body.

Antioxidants do not do anything to oxygen. Antioxidants fight a chemical reaction called oxidation. This is the same process that causes metals to rust. Oxidation is the mingling between oxygen molecules and what they come in contact with. If it is living tissue where this occurs then that's when damage of disease occurs.

The damaged caused by oxidation in your body is caused by free radicals, which are highly reactive molecules that cruise around your body doing nothing but causing problems. Oxygen is the most common source of generating these free radicals.

Paired together, oxygen travels through out your body and each molecule has its own electron. Often what happens is this double molecule splits into two half's which leaves one molecule with out and electron to go with it. Feeling of balanced, the single molecule races around your body trying to repair itself and find a new electron to pair up with.

The molecule does not just wait for a spare electron to pop up, but what it does is it steals one from another molecule. The problem keeps reoccurring over and over again. The process is what causes cells to be damaged, and the entire body system gets effected by it. This is believed to be the major cause of cancer, heart disease and aging.

Antioxidants work against "electron stealing" by neutralizing and stabilizing free radicals. They do this by donating an electron so that singlet oxygen and other free radicals no longer have the urge to "steal." And while the body does produce a certain amount of antioxidants for the express purpose of taking care of such problems, it also needs the added help of antioxidants found in foods.

Among others, these include beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, the mineral selenium, and various phytochemicals such as lycopene and quercetin. But the catechins, especially EGCg, are among the most powerful and effective antioxidants of all. - 15683

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