News Article

For: April Issue

To: Gulf Coast Womens News

By: Linda K. Bowman, Ext. Agt. IV - Family & Consumer Sciences

Santa Rosa County Extension Service

Telephone: 850/623-3868 or 939-1259, ext. 1360

The Plain Truth About Amazing Antioxidants Revealed!

Antioxidants have made quite a name for themselves. With all the new research linking antioxidants to the prevention of diseases, consumers have been bombarded with a slew of new antioxidant claims and products. The vitamin/herb supplement industry's mega-doses of antioxidant cocktails are selling like hotcakes. Antioxidants have been heralded as magic health bullets, and indeed they do play a role in disease prevention. But some of these claims are probably more glamorous than they are true, so get your facts straight and save yourself some money while still reaping the healthy benefits.

Antioxidants are a group of vitamins like carotenoids, vitamins A, C, and E, and the mineral selenium. What antioxidants are believed to do is neutralize free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that have lost one electron and are aggressively looking for a replacement. In the body, this leads to oxidative damage as the radicals pluck electrons from important cell structures like genes and membranes. Free radical damage can affect all cells, accelerating the aging process and hastening those diseases associated with age.

Where do free radicals come from? Our bodies produce free radicals during normal metabolism. Free radicals are also acquired from the environment, especially in industrialized, urban areas. You can also get free radicals from smoking and drinking alcohol. We also get free radicals from our diet when we eat high fat, fried foods and char-grilled foods.

Antioxidants are believed to donate their electrons to free radicals, thereby stabilizing them and preventing cell destruction. Preventing destruction means protection from these age-and free radical-related diseases, right? So why not add antioxidants to everything in sight and call it a day?

The problem we run into is that we're assuming that antioxidants are solely responsible for preventing free radical damage when studies have not concluded that antioxidants alone are the best protection from free radicals. Studies have linked people who eat diets rich in vegetables, fruits and grains to preventing diseases, but it is not clear whether it is the antioxidants alone or the combination of the phytochemicals that occur naturally in whole foods that offer the greatest protection from cell damage. It's unlikely that a person who eats a diet high in fat, meat and fried food with few fruits, vegetables and whole grains will be protected from oxidative damage by just popping a mega-dose of antioxidants. A healthy diet rich in antioxidant containing foods is by far the most proven protection from free radical related diseases.

A colorful, balanced diet from a variety of plant sources provides you with a wide array of antioxidants and phytochemicals that are most effective at fighting free radical damage. But if you're like most Americans, you're not getting enough grains, vegetables, or fruits. It's easy to get all the antioxidants and nutrients you need naturally from food. Decorate your plate with richly colored vegetables and fruits for antioxidants carotenoids, vitamins A and C, plus a variety of other vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals. Dark Greens: broccoli, spinach, kale, collards, Swiss chard, romaine lettuce, avocados, parsley. Red, orange, yellow: tomatoes, yellow squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, yams, bell peppers, carrots, mangoes, papaya, apricots, cantaloupe, berries, kiwi, watermelon, citrus fruits. Whole grains and legumes provide selenium, vitamin E, heart healthy soluble fiber, and a host of other phytochemicals. Good sources are brazil nuts, cashews, almonds, walnuts, other nuts, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, other seeds, wheat, oats, soy, and beans.

It is important to include antioxidant rich foods as part of your daily diet. If you still want to spend money on expensive supplements, just keep in mind that supplements are not substitutes for the foods listed above. Antioxidants can help some, but your overall diet and lifestyle choices are more crucial in preventing diseases than your intake of any one nutrient.

For further information contact: Linda Bowman, Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent, The University of Florida--Santa Rosa County Cooperative Extension Service--IFAS, at (850)623-3868 or (850)939-1259, Ext. 1360 for south county residents, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Hearing-impaired individuals may call Santa Rosa County Emergency Management Service at 983-5373 (TDD).

Extension Service programs are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap or national origin. The use of trade names in this article is solely for the purpose of providing specific information. It is not a guarantee, warranty, or endorsement of the product name(s) and does not signify that they are approved to the exclusion of others.