WHY ARE ANTIOXIDANTS IMPORTANT TO ME?

Did you know that when we breath oxygen, itbig ?C? word? This is a question that all of us are
interacts with certain molecules in our bodies todying to know since one American in every three
create free radicals and that these free radicalsliving today will get cancer, and one in four will die
damage important cellular structures such as DNAfrom it. The National Cancer Institute says,
and cell membranes? Well, it is true and this?Considerable laboratory evidence from chemical,
damage may cause cells to function poorly andcell culture, and animal studies indicates that
mutate. Free radical damage may lead to diseaseantioxidants may slow or possibly prevent the
and aging.development of cancer. However, information
We are exposed to huge amounts of freefrom recent clinical trials is less clear.? Selenium, an
radicals from pollution, and pesticides. Every timeantioxidant mineral can help protect against breast
you breathe, you take in millions of free radicalcancer. One expert, Dr. Gerhard Schrauzer of the
molecules created by cigarette smoke, radiation,University of California at San Diego, stated, "If
and automobile emissions. Every time you eat,every woman in America started taking selenium
you consume free radicals in the form ofsupplements or had a high-selenium diet, then
pesticides and preservatives.within a few years the breast cancer rate in this
This is where antioxidants come in. Our bodiescountry would drastically decline. And according to
have a natural defense system against these freea study by Dr. Larry Clark of the University of
radicals. Our immune system creates antioxidantsArizona, 200 micrograms daily of selenium cut the
which are able to neutralize free radicals andrate of prostate cancer by 69% and lung cancer
prevent much cellular damage. We also needby 34%.
antioxidants from other sources such as fruits,So clearly antioxidants are important for all of us
vegetables, nuts, grains, some meat, poultry andto strengthen and protect our immune systems
fish.and to help guard against disease. Antioxidants
I bet you may recognize these antioxidants:may even help us live longer. The theory is that if
vitamin E, C and beta carotene (a form of vitaminfree radical damage causes aging, antioxidants in
A. Others include luetin, lycopene, magnesium, andhigh enough quantities should be able to slow
zinc.aging. This theory is advanced in one California
There has been much talk about antioxidantsstudy of people aged 50 or older, where it was
preventing heart disease which is so deadly that itfound that those "... with a higher intake of vitamin
results in an average of 1 death every 34C were found to have a total death rate only
seconds. The American Heart Association says,40% of that for those with the lower intake of C
?Oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad")... This decrease in the death rate corresponds to
cholesterol is important in the development ofan increase by eleven years in the length of life."
fatty buildups in the arteries. This process, calledEven small doses of vitamin C can help. According
atherosclerosis (ath"er-o-skleh-RO'sis), can lead toto one UCLA study only 300 milligrams a day can
heart attacks and strokes. Increasing evidenceadd 6 years to a man's life and two years to a
suggests that LDL cholesterol lipoprotein oxidationwoman's life.
and its biological effects can be prevented byAntioxidants are made naturally by your body but
using antioxidants -- both in the diet and insupplementation from food or other sources is
supplements.? In 1993, Harvard Universityneeded. The highest concentrations of antioxidants
researchers reported that supplemental doses ofare found in the most deeply or brightly colored
vitamin E actually reduced the risk of heartfruits and vegetables such as spinach, red bell
disease by as much as 54 percent!peppers, raspberries, carrots, apricots,
And what effects can antioxidants have on thepomegranates, and tomatoes.