A biological antioxidant is a compound that protects biological systems against the potentially harmful effects of processes or reactions that cause excessive oxidation.
Although oxidation is an important process for sustaining life, it produces free radicals (‘hydroxyl radical’ or ‘superoxide anion’ or ‘hydrogen peroxide’), which cause chain reactions in the body that eventually damage the cells.
Antioxidant can prevent this destructive oxidation of other molecules in the body.
Antioxidants stop the chain reaction by removing the free radicals and by stopping other oxidation reactions.
Antioxidants are found naturally in many foods, primarily fruits and vegetables. They are also available as supplements.
Hydrophilic compounds, such as vitamin C, thiols, and flavonoids, as well as lipophilic compounds such as vitamin E, vitamin A, carotenoids, and ubiquinols, are the best-known natural antioxidants.
Some minerals, such as selenium are also considered to have antioxidant properties. Many studies report benefits of antioxidants in preventing heart disease, neurological diseases, macular degeneration and even some cancers.
What are antioxidants?
Nutrition is a scientific discipline that encompasses a structured body of knowledge. It includes various fields such as clinical nutrition, community nutrition, public health, food policy, and food science. At its core, nutrition is the study of how the body utilizes food. It is essential to life. Understanding nutrition enables us to make better dietary choices by determining the necessary nutrient intake, identifying optimal food sources, and recognizing beneficial or harmful food components.
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