The development of heart disease, cancer and other chronic diseases is often linked to long term damage to cell membranes, which is largely caused by free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules produced by the breakdown of food or exposure to toxins such as cigarette smoke and pollution. Antioxidants are substances that stabilize free radicals and reduce the amount of damage they cause to cell membranes. Some vitamins and minerals are also classified as antioxidants.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E helps neutralize free radicals formed when fat undergoes oxidation, a process during which oxygen is added to fat. Vitamin E may also block the formation of cancerous substances in the body due to nitrate-rich foods such as deli meats, according to the National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin also classified as an antioxidant. Because vitamin C dissolves in water and can easily enter your body cells and tissues, neutralizing free radicals. The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center notes that the antioxidant properties of vitamin C may be the strongest when the vitamin is taken in doses that exceed the recommended daily allowance.
Selenium
Selenium is a mineral that also belongs to a class of proteins, called selenoproteins. These selenoproteins function as antioxidants and can help protect your cells from free radicals. A study published in 2010 in the "Revista Da Associação Médica Brasileira," a Brazilian medical journal, reported that selenium may act as a antimutagenic agent, preventing normal cells from turning cancerous and forming malignant tumors. Another study published in the "Atherosclerosis" journal in 2010 found that people with low serum selenium levels have a significantly increased risk of death from heart disease and those with high serum selenium levels have a better prognosis, although more research on this subject is needed before definite claims can be made.
Beta-Carotene
Beta-carotene is a type of vitamin A called provitamin A carotenoid. Carotenoids are the pigments that give fruits and vegetables their orange, red or yellow colors. Specficially, beta-carotene is responsible for the orange color in carrots and butternut squash. Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables containing beta-carotene has been linked with lowered risk of developing heart disease and cancer, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
References
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin E
- Linus Pauling Insitute; Selenium; Jane Higdon; October 2003
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Beta-Carotene; Steven D. Ehrlich; December 19, 2008
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Vitamin and Antioxidant Research; June 26, 2006
- "Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition"; "Do Free Radicals Play a Causal Role in Atherosclerosis?"; Etsuo Niki; January 2011
- "Atherosclerosis"; Serum Selenium and Prognosis in Cardiovascular Disease: Results from the AtheroGene Study; Edith Lubos; March 2010
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