Why Are Antioxidants Important?

AN INFOGRAPHIC Our bodies are complicated places. As you read this. WHY ARE ANTIOXIDANTS IMPORTANT? millions of free radicals are fighting a quiet war between your cells - one which could have drastic consequences for your wellbeing. Like any war, it has its heroes and its villains. But who are they. and what role do they play? And how can you protect your body from this etemal battle? WHAT ARE FREE RADICALS? FREE RADICALS ARE DAMAGED MOLECULES MISSING AN IMPORTANT ELECTRON. They are born when the body fails to process oxygen correctly - a process INCOMPLETE MOLECULES ARE known as 'oxidation'. DANGEROUS FREE RADICALS need their electron to THEY DAMAGE OTHER CELLS IN SEARCH OF survive, and are willing to KILL to get it. THEIR MISSING PART 'DAMAGED' CELLS THEN BECOME FREE RADICALS TOO A CHAIN REACTION WITH DEVASTATING RESULTS ... (+) WHAT CAUSES FREE RADICALS? Smoking Drugs 20% 11 927MILLION Number of prescriptions given out in the uk in 2011, a 70% increase Around 20% of the adult population are smokers in a decade. Stress Pollution THE BIG SMOKE In 2012, hospital admissions for stress rose by 7% in the UK. In 2010, EU officials declared London the most polluted place in europe. UV Light Processed Food 1339.7 HOURS NUMBER 1 Average # of hours of uv-rich sunshine in the uk over 1 year. The biggest culprit: encourages free Radicals & is usually free of antioxidants HOW DO FREE RADICALS AFFECT ME? Free radicals are a part of life. At their most-basic, they are the cause for AGEING. Without them, the circle of life would break and our species grind to a halt. BUT, TAKE TOO MANY ONBOARD AND THE RESULTS CAN BE FAR FROM NATURAL: 24 TIMES 85% The amount extra Number of chronic unprotected skin ages in even mild sunlight compared to protected skin and degenerative diseases japanese scientist Yukie Niwa estimated resulted from free radical damage 4 TIMES 157,275 DEATHS Animals recovering from a stroke that were not treated against free radicals were shown to be four times more likely The number of people to die of cancer in the uk (latest figures). Free radicals are a leading to die than those that were cause of cancers The number of strokes in the 135,300 STROKES UK each year. Free radicals are implicated in many strokes CANCER FREE RADICALS BONE-DISEASE ARE BAD NEWS! SCURVY SO... HOW DO WE FIGHT BACK AGAINST SUCH AGGRESSIVE CELLS? ANTIOXIDANTS! Antioxidants work by supressing free radicals – acting as a local police force for your immune system. This is how they get their name, by working to counter the effects of oxidisation: 'anti oxidants. A HOW DO ANTIOXIDANTS HELP? THE EFFECTS OF ANTIOXIDANTS CANCER REDUCTION IN YOUR SYSTEM ARE AS VARIED AS FREE RADICALS. SOME MAY 40% MAKE ONLY A SLIGHT DIFFER- ENCE, OTHERS MAY CAUSE PRO- FOUND CHANGE: The amount a high antioxidant (selenium and vitamin E) intake can reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer by. WRINKLE IMPROVEMENT LOWER RISK 0.2% 46% The concentration of antioxi- Antioxidant-rich tea drinkers dant Tretinoin needed to had a 46% lower risk of produce "significant improve- developing high blood pres- sure than others (Source: Washington Post) ments" in wrinkles and skin colour (Source: New York Times) TASTY BOOST HEART RISK DECREASE 20% 29% the boost your bodies antioxi- dant levels you receive when consuming dark chocolate (Source: BBC) the amount an antioxidant-rich vegetarian diet can cut the risk of heart attacks by. (Source: The Telegraph) WHERE CAN I GET ANTIOXIDANTS? LUCKILY, ANTIOXIDANTS ARE EVERYWHERE. YOU CAN FIND THEM IN DRINKS, IN FOOD, IN VITAMINS. SOME OF THE MOST COMMON PLACES TO FIND ANTIOXIDANTS ARE: COFFEE WATERCRESS A single cup of joe is busting with antioxidants - such as chlorogenic acid, which fights the not all antioxidants are the same, and watercress is filled to bursting with lutein and zexanthin: two unusual oxidation of bad choles- antioxidants guaranteed to boost the health of your eyes. Mix a cup with your terol. Best of alI, it's effective in any form, whether you're drinking regular or decaf next salad for immediate results. KIDNEY BEANS BLUEBERRIES We all love blueberries and it's easy to see why. A single cup contains nearly ten thousand antioxidants - making it one of the five half a cup of red kidney beans contains over 6,000 antioxidants. Tastiest in a Mexican-style chilli, they pack more punch in the war against free radicals than almost any other food stuff, healthiest foodstuffs on Earth, according to the USDA. GRANNY SMITH APPLES STRAWBERRIES an apple a day keeps the doctor away... a single Granny Smith apple they may not be quite as healthy as blueberries, but they sure as heck are just as tasty. It's estimated a single cup of strawberries contains contains five thousand antioxidants, enough to help your body in its fight against free radicals. around 6,000 antioxidants - enough to counter even the dollop of cream you eat them with. VITAMIN E VITAMIN C Vitamin E is the king of vitamins. Found naturally occurring in soy-products found in citrus fruits, green peppers, cabbage, spinach and broccoli, Vitamin C is but also available to take one of the most-essential as a supplement, it suppresses the oxidation of fat cells in your body. vitamins in the human diet. Bursting with antioxidant properties, it also delivers multiple health benefits and plenty of good enzymes. OLIVE OIL RED WINE it's healthy, delicious and works great sprinkled on a salad. Uncooked olive oil do you enjoy a quick snifter in the evening? Recent studies have shown that red wine is a also contains a whole heap of antioxidants for fighting against cancer and heart disease. good source of antioxi- dants, especially if limited to a single glass. THE CHOICE IS OURS. THERE ARE MANY RESOURCES OUR BODIES CAN CALL UPON IN THE FIGHT AGAINST FREE RADICALS, BUT NONE AS IMPORTANT AS ANTIOXIDANTS. WATCHING WHAT WE EAT AND HOW WE LIVE OUR LIVES, WE CAN REDUCE OUR BODY'S RISK ÁGAINST CANCER, HEART DISEASE AND STROKE. WE CAN SLOW DOWN THE AGING PROCESS, TO LIVE FULLER, HAPPIER LIVES. WE HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE AND WE HAVE THE MEANS. 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