What Are Antioxidants? What Are Their Benefits?

The term antioxidant has become quite popular in today’s vernacular, but what are antioxidants? Antioxidant is a compound word combining anti (meaning against) and oxidant. Free radicals, or oxidants, are the result of a process called redox or reduction-oxidation. Redox is the chemical reaction of the day-to-day metabolic processes that occur in our bodies in an attempt to maintain homeostasis, which can be defined as the dynamic constancy of the body’s internal environment. Antioxidants are the molecules that bind to these free radicals rendering them inert. When free radicals build up in the body, known as oxidative stress, they can cause damage to cells and DNA. Free radicals can also cause mutations in DNA strands, sometimes breaking the double helix or destroying the telomeres (the end caps of a DNA strand that keep it from unraveling). This is believed to be the cause of many diseases including cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Antioxidants are categorized into two classes based on their solubility in water and fat. Water soluble antioxidants are known as hydrophilic and protect cells in the blood plasma, and lipid, or fat, soluble antioxidants are know as hydrophobic and protect the cell membranes from oxidative stress. There are also subclasses of antioxidants, which include polyphenols, diterpenes, and tannins. Polyphenol antioxidants include flavonoids and Vitamin C, and can be found in fruits, vegetables, tea, and chocolate. Coffee contains diterpene antioxidants, which have been shown to be beneficial to those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. The most well known antioxidants recognized by the majority of the population are vitamin E and vitamin C. Vitamin E, when consumed in food, has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease by preventing damage due to LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol). Vitamin C has some promise in the treatment of cancer.

There is much speculation on the necessity to take antioxidant supplements such as vitamin E, or Vitamin C. Initial researched showed antioxidants might be beneficial in preventing some diseases, however a study conducted in Germany in 2009 stated there is no health benefit from taking these supplements and in fact, excess amounts of antioxidants may be harmful. For example, the muscle damage that occurs during rigorous exercise is repaired by the immune system (this is how we build muscle). This inflammation leads to the production of excess free radicals, which are actually beneficial because they clear away damaged cells and tissue. Antioxidant supplementation may inhibit this process and prevent many of the health benefits that come with exercise including increased insulin sensitivity. Excess antioxidant supplementation may also lead to nutrient deficiency by preventing the absorption of minerals such as iron and zinc. Vegetarians and vegans may have a greater risk of deficiency due to the amount of plant material they consume since the majority of antioxidants are found in plants.

Antioxidants are beneficial and necessary to the health of the human body. However, they should be consumed through dietary intake rather than supplementation. Antioxidants can be found in fruits and vegetables such as broccoli, squash, tomatoes, especially leafy, green vegetables like kale, spinach and mustard greens, as well as teas (specifically black and green teas), honey, legumes, vegetable oil, nuts (almonds, walnuts etc.), herbs and spices such as cinnamon, basil and oregano, and red wine among other things. If the intake of these sources is limited, antioxidant supplementation at the lowest possible dose may be beneficial but every effort should be made to use natural sources for consumption.

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References:

Raven, Peter H., George B. Johnson. Biology Fourth Ed. Wm. C. Brown Publishers Dubuque, IA 1996

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2680430/?tool=pmcentrez