Antioxidant Benefits

As illnesses and diseases become more aggressive and sophisticated, many are taking an interest in how to best protect their bodies from germs. The use of antioxidant supplements as a cleaning agent for the body has been researched with promising results, although many questions remain unanswered.

Identification

• Oxidation is a necessary process that takes place in nature. It happens as a result of the corrosive effect oxygen has on organic, and inorganic materials. In the case of organic materials, oxidation occurs at the cellular level and can have damaging effects when certain minerals aren't present in the system. Antioxidants are mostly enzymes that work to counteract the damaging effects of oxidation caused by free radicals that reside in the body. There cleaning effect works to strengthen the immune system by maintaining the body's normal chemistry. Antioxidants come in the form of minerals, vitamins and herbs.

Function

• Oxygen plays a vital role in the cellular activities throughout the body. As a result, some of these activities produce byproducts that can cause progressive damage. These byproducts are called free radicals. They appear when certain oxygen molecules become charged, or ionized as a result of normal cellular activity, or exposure to environmental elements such as carbon dioxide, or radiation. While in this highly charged state, free radicals affect nearby cells by stealing their electrons, which causes a chemical instability within that cellular region. From there, a chain reaction begins causing cells to steal electrons from nearby cells in an attempt to re-stabilize the affected region.

Features

• Antioxidants benefit the body by stopping the chain reactions caused by free radicals. They work to intercept the effects of ionized molecules by stopping these molecules from stealing charges from nearby cells. When free radicals are left to their own devices, a gradual build-up of chemical imbalances occurs within the body's chemistry. This build-up is said to account for a number of illnesses and diseases that occur later on in life. Cancer, Alzheimer's disease, stroke and immune dysfunction are some of the conditions linked to damage caused by the presence of free radicals in the system over long periods of time.

Types

• There are two main categories of antioxidant activity" preventative and chain breaking. Preventative agents work to reduce the production of free radicals, while chain breaking agents block the damaging chain reaction effects. Vitamin E, vitamin C, beta carotene and vitamin A are just a few of the antioxidant enzymes at work in the body. As oxidation can occur within cell bodies, or between cell bodies, there are two different types of antioxidants at work. Water-soluble agents combat free radicals residing within cell structures, while lipid-soluble agents work to protect cell membrane linings. Eating a well-balanced diet will provide the body with the enzymes it needs to eliminate free radicals from the system. Dietary supplements may be advertised as antioxidant agents, however research studies have found their effects on free radicals to be inconclusive.

Considerations

• The body is able to manufacture a number of antioxidant agents on its own, however free radicals caused by carbon-based environmental elements introduce a foreign breed of elements into the system. Vitamin and mineral supplements may help to strengthen the body's defenses, however their effectiveness depends on a number of factors related to a person's specific body chemistry. Reports from the American Heart Association discourage the use of dietary supplements based on conflicting data obtained from controlled studies. Certain minerals are dependent on the presence of other minerals and enzymes in the system. Unless extensive lab testings are performed to identify deficiencies in the body, taking a dietary supplement off the shelf will provide little, if any benefits to the system. Of primary concern is the possible risk of toxicity as a result of non-soluble minerals accumulating in the liver and fatty tissues.