• 1What are Nutritional Claims? (VIDEO)
  • 2Understanding Nutritional Claims
  • 3All Natural: Less is More?
  • 4What is Organic?
  • 5Organic: Is It Better?
  • 6What Makes a Food Whole?
  • 7Functional Foods
  • 8What Makes a Functional Food?
  • 9Antioxidants are Heroes
  • 10Adding Nutrients to Nature
  • 11How Much Fat? Low Fat, Light & Fat Free
  • 12Be a Label Detective!
  • 13Good Choices, Healthy Balance
CHAPTER 9

Antioxidants are Heroes

PART 1

Antioxidants: Fighting the Good Fight

ORAC Values
Have you had your antioxidants today? Given the health news about the power of antioxidants and the marketing of products that contain them (from foods to face creams), it can seem like we all know about the benefits of these micronutrients. But how do antioxidants work and are they really that important? Will they truly prevent cancer or slow aging?

Antioxidant chemistry 101

Antioxidants are compounds that prevent oxidation. Oxidation is a basic biological process that can be compared to combustion (rapid oxidation) or rust (slow oxidation). Both are processes that break down materials. If we think of oxidation as rust, antioxidants are then natural rust busters. The molecules that cause the rust are called “free radicals,” which are highly unstable molecules that can damage cells. Free radicals are produced in the course of normal metabolic processes (some free radicals, in fact, play useful roles in the body), but they can also be produced by exposure to environmental contaminants, tobacco smoke, radiation or UV light on the skin. READ MORE

The action of free radicals (rust promotion) and antioxidants (rust prevention) depends on the transfer of electrons from one molecule to another. Free radicals steal electrons from molecules in cells, causing damage in the process. Antioxidants have electrons to spare and so can offer them to greedy free radicals, thereby neutralizing these molecular rogues and preventing damage. The sort of damage that free radicals are believed to cause is serious: inflammation in vessel walls that can lead to plaque buildup and damage to cellular DNA that can lead to cancer. Free radical damage may also play a role in the development of degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and rheumatoid arthritis. There is even a theory that it is the gradual accumulation of free radicals over time that is responsible for the process of aging.

The body produces its own antioxidants as well as obtains them from food. Examples of antioxidants include vitamins C and E, minerals such as selenium, lutein (found in egg yolks), as well as many of the key ingredients in functional foods, such as anthocyanins (responsible for red, purple and blue colors in fruits and vegetables), beta-carotene (which gives carrots and pumpkins their orange color), catechins (green tea), coenzyme Q10 (beef, poultry and lamb), flavonoids (chocolate), and lycopenes (tomatoes and watermelon). LESS
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PART 2

Real Hope in Need of Real Evidence

Studies have shown that a diet that includes lots of antioxidant-rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains is associated with a reduced risk of certain chronic diseases. That does not mean, however, that these benefits can be directly traced to the action of antioxidants (that is, cause-and-effect cannot be confirmed through carefully controlled scientific studies). This is also true when it comes to antioxidants in dietary supplements. And, in fact, overall reviews of antioxidant studies have not identified any clear benefit from higher intake of antioxidants. Confusing? Definitely! Welcome to the world of nutrition claims, where it is often the case that although there may be reason to believe in the power of something, that doesn’t constitute real proof. Hence, the need for caution and careful science. READ MORE

Testing the Value of Supplements

A great many people believe in the power of antioxidants. And there have been systematic reviews of research into the use of antioxidant supplements for preventing cancer, cardiovascular disease, and eye disease, and reducing overall mortality in healthy people. The conclusions of such reviews, however, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), offer little encouragement for antioxidant boosters. “In general,” states NCCAM, “these reviews have concluded that there is not enough evidence to support the use of antioxidant supplements for these purposes.” (One exception, however, is a National Eye Institute study, which found that antioxidants reduced the risk of age-related macular degeneration.)

Why such uncertainty? It could be the fact that antioxidant supplements are often synthetic (man-made) and that some of these synthetic versions don’t have the same effects on the body as antioxidants naturally present in foods. Or, in the case when antioxidants are extracted from foods to create supplements, it might be that some beneficial properties are lost in the extraction process. But the conclusion remains the same: that controlled studies haven’t been able to confirm specific benefits from antioxidant supplements. And in a final note of caution, NCCAM warns that “there is also some concern that consuming antioxidants in excessive doses may have negative effects.”

But because there is such widespread interest in the role of antioxidants and because there is certainly research evidence that antioxidants should provide potential health benefits, the National Institutes of Health is currently funding research for a wide variety of clinical trials. Examples of such trials include the use of antioxidants as potential treatments for multiple sclerosis, diabetic neuropathy, cardiovascular disease, asthma and allergies, chronic hypertension, as well as Alzheimer's disease, ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, Parkinson's disease, and even noise-induced hearing loss. LESS
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