Foods High In Antioxidants Can Prevent Aging And Cancer

Antioxidants are chemicals that help to prevent oxidation of other chemicals and in biological systems normal oxidation results in the production of highly reactive free radicals that damage other molecules as well as the body’s own cells. Foods high in antioxidants helps the system to mop up free radicals prior to any damage being caused to other essential molecules. When food is metabolized it causes production of free radicals and foods high in antioxidants help to stave off the aging effects and it is a better alternative to calorie rich and vitamin poor diets.

Foods high in antioxidants may consist of pomegranates, dark berries, noni and blackberries as well as blueberries and are known to contain high quantities of antioxidants that are ideally suited for persons of advanced ages as well as those that may suffer from male prostate cancer.

Enzymes May Also Be Antioxidants

There are certain enzymes that are antioxidants and these include gluthathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase. Some scientists in Russia have made a custom antioxidant that is able to enter the mitochondria and thus prevent damage to DNA. There are also certain foods high in antioxidants and these include small red beans, plums, wild blueberries, black beans, red kidney beans, Russet potato that has been cooked, Pinto beans, and many others including red delicious apples, granny Smith apples and raspberries and strawberries. To supply foods high in antioxidants there are many nurtraceutical as well as health food companies producing products that are rich in antioxidants and one such company is Nutraceutical Corporation. Other companies like Natrol and Canprev, Vemma and Natural Health are making supplements that include antioxidants.

Recently, the US Department of Agriculture rated certain foods that contained antioxidant capacity in excess of 2,000 to be qualified to be termed as being a food high in antioxidants and these included foods such as cherries, dried plums, artichokes, walnuts, hazelnuts, cinnamon as well as cloves and oreganos. Among vegetables, the top food high in antioxidants was artichokes, red cabbage as well as russet potatoes and it also included nuts like pecans, walnuts and hazelnuts. Also making the list of food high in antioxidants were spices such as oregano, cinnamon and cloves. Foods high in antioxidants are known as ORAC and may give the cells protection from oxidative damage. ORAC or Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity is a method of analyzing, using a test tube to measure total antioxidant power of food as well as other chemical substances. Foods high in antioxidants such as spinach and blueberries would help in slowing down the process of aging of both the body and the brain.