Benefits of Antioxidants

What are Free Radicals?

autoimmune disorders.

How do they cause this damage? Free radicals are the result of normal chemical reactions in the body called oxidation which then leaves the body with thousands of unbalanced electrons.

These unstable electrons can then cause damage to our cells and especially the macula where there is a lot of oxidation.

According to Dr. Lylas Mock, Visual Rehabilitation and Research Center of Michigan.

"Almost every single one of the risk factors we have for macular degeneration can be linked to free radicals."

The dangers of oxidative stress on the macula was also reported by this article in Pub Med.

"Oxidized phospholipids in the macula increase with age and in eyes with age-related macular degeneration. There is good evidence that oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

It is likely that controlling oxidation of phospholipids may be a potential treatment for AMD."

Suzuki M, Kamei M, Itabe H, Yoneda K, Bando H, Kume N, Tano Y. Department of Ophthalmology, Osaka University Medical School, Suita, Japan. msuzuki@ophthal.med.osaka-u.ac.jp PMID: 17563727 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Keeping our free radicals in balance is extremely critical in the prevention of macular degeneration, in fighting disease in general, and in the aging battle.

What are the benefits of antioxidants to macular degeneration? Antioxidants supply the missing electron that is needed to balance the free radical so that the cell is neutralized and now unable to cause damage and injury to healthy cells and tissue.

The 2005 study in the Netherlands sought to evaluate whether antioxidants that are present in normal foods could play a role in preventing age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Those who had an above-average intake of

Beta Carotene,

Vitamin C,

Vitamin E and

Zinc

had a 35 percent reduced risk of AMD.

Antioxidant Rich Foods

It is important to know the foods that are high in antioxidants. Not only are berries high in antioxidants but so are beans, nuts, and vegetables.

Click here for an antioxidant list of foods: Antioxidant List of Foods

Antioxidant Health Supplement

Read the findings from Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science 2007:

"Our findings support the suggestion that supplementation with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals may reduce the risk of development of AMD.

Taken together with the results of recent studies demonstrating that macrophage depletion reduced CNV formation in an animal model, our findings suggest that suppressing macrophage accumulation by controlling the macrophage responses to oxidative lipoproteins or suppressing phospholipid oxidation may be treatments for AMD."

Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. 2007;48:1801-1807.)© 2007 by The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.DOI: 10.1167/iovs.06-0699

To read more about antioxidant health supplements click here: Antioxidant Health Supplements

Cancer, Heart Disease and Aging

Here is the definition from the National Cancer Institute:

"A substance that protects cells from the damage caused by free radicals (unstable molecules made by the process of oxidation during normal metabolism). Free radicals may play a part in

cancer,

heart disease,

stroke, and

other diseases of aging.

Antioxidants include beta-carotene, lycopene, vitamins A, C, and E, and other natural and manufactured substances."

TheAmerican Institute for Cancer Research 1997 Report Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective states,

“Evidence of dietary protection against cancer is strongest and most consistent for diets high in vegetables and fruits.”

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