Top Ten Antioxidants

Naturally occurring compounds that protect the body from free radicals are called antioxidants. Many of these can be obtained from food sources such as fresh fruits and vegetables and sprouted grains, but you might want to add in vitamins and other supplements high in antioxidant values as well. Free radicals are constantly being created in our environment, causing the need to ensure we can counter their negative effects. Consuming a diet high in antioxidants seems to be an excellent way.

Antioxidants and Free Radicals

Atoms or groups of atoms that damage cells, decrease immune system function, cause infections and degenerative diseases such as cancer and heart disease are called free radicals. Some scientists even believe free radical damage is the basis for the aging process. Antioxidants play a pivotal role in the prevention of disease by neutralizing the effect of free radicals produced by radiation exposure, toxic chemicals and metabolic processes such as breaking down stored fat used for energy. Antioxidants work together to give protection, so it is preferable to take several different ones than a large amount of only one.

Top Ten Anxtioxidants From Food

A study published in the May 2004 issue of Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry examined the antioxidant content of more than 100 kinds of fruits, vegetables, nuts, spices cereals and other foods and came up with a list of the top 20. Xianli Wu and five other researchers used an analysis method called the oxygen radical absorbance capacity, which detected the lipid soluble and water soluble capacities of the samples. Dried small red beans were the No. 1 antioxidant-rich food. With an appearance like a small kidney bean, this bean is sometimes called Mexican red bean and is grown in Washington, Idaho, and Alberta, Canada. Next on the list were wild blueberries, followed by red kidney beans, pinto beans, cultivated blueberries, cranberries, cooked artichokes, blackberries, prunes and raspberries.

The Next Ten

The same study listed the following 10 foods as having the next highest antioxidant capacities. Starting with slot 11, the list goes like this: strawberries, Red Delicious apples, Granny Smith apples, pecans, sweet cherries, black plums, cooked russet potatoes, dried black beans, plums and Gala apples. Except for the tomato, most antioxidant foods lose some of their punch in processing. In other words, a blueberry pie can't compare with a bowl of fresh blueberries for anxtioxidant value.

Vitamins and Other Supplements

Gary Null, author of "Power Aging," identifies the following supplements as having known antioxidant activity: vitamin C; vitamin E; some B vitamins, such as B-12 and folic acid; alpha-lipoic acid; manganese; selenium; zinc; amino acids such as L-carnosine, N-acetyl cysteine, L-taurine and reduced L-glutathione; coenzyme Q10; some hormones, such as melatonin; and some enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase. Null says if you compare the antioxidant army to a chess set, then the king would be vitamin C, the queen would be coenzymeQ10, selenium would be a knight, vitamin E a bishop and the castle would be carnosine.