Antioxidants are substances found in many foods, and especially in dark colored fruits and vegetables, that help protect body cells from damage (oxidation) that occurs during normal processes such as the breakdown of food into energy (metabolism) and also from exposure to environmental toxins.
Significance
By safeguarding individual cells, antioxidants help protect the body against chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and some types of cancer.
Function
Some antioxidants are vitamins, some are minerals, and some are pigments that give food their color. Others, such as phytochemicals, have no known value or function other than to protect cells from damage.
Identification
Antioxidants include vitamins C and A (as beta carotene) in orange, red and dark green fruits and vegetables; the mineral selenium in meat and plant foods; lycopene in tomatoes; polyphenols in green tea; and resveratrol in red wine.
Effects
Some antioxidants, such as vitamin E, prevent destruction of body cells by allowing themselves to be destroyed instead. Others repair cell damage that could lead to disease.
Considerations
Although many antioxidants are available in supplement form, research reported in a 2009 issue of the American Journal of Clinical nutrition confirmed antioxidants from food are likely to be more effective at preventing disease.
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