Antioxidants are dietary substances including some nutrients such as beta carotene, vitamins C and E. This antioxidant prevents the damages to our body cells or repair damage that has been done.
Biological role of antioxidants:
To counter the harmful effects of free radicals, antioxidant defense mechanism operates to detoxify or scavenge these free radicals.
Antioxidants are broadly categorized in to two:
Secondary or synthetic antioxidants:
They include:
Types of antioxidants:
Therapeutic uses of antioxidants:
Good sources of antioxidants include all foods rich in Vitamin C, E and Beta Carotene. Antioxidants can also be obtained from green, red and yellow coloured vegetables and fruits, vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, and also from whole grains, wheat and wheat grams.
Biological role of antioxidants:
To counter the harmful effects of free radicals, antioxidant defense mechanism operates to detoxify or scavenge these free radicals.
- Promote eye health and prevents macular degeneration, cataract and other degenerative eye diseases.
- Boost up immune system.
- Prevent neurodegenerative disorders.
- Prevent DNA damage and there for have anti-carcinogenic effect.
- Promotes cardiovascular health.
- Antioxidants can decrease LDL and cholesterol, increase high density lipoprotein HDL, and lower blood pressure.
Antioxidants are broadly categorized in to two:
- Primary or natural antioxidants.
- Secondary or synthetic antioxidants.
- These are co-factors of antioxidants enzymes. They also include selenium, copper, iron, zinc and manganese.
- Antioxidant vitamins: They are involved in all metabolic functions of the body.
- They include vitamin C vitamin E, vitamin B.
- Phytochemicals: The active chemical components present in a plants that account for its medicinal properties. They also include flavonoids.
Secondary or synthetic antioxidants:
They include:
- Butylated hydroxyl anisole (BHA).
- Butylated hydroxyrotoluene (BHT).
- Propyl gallate (PG) and metal chelating agent (EDTA).
- Tertiary butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ).
- Nordihydro guaretic acid (NDGA).
Types of antioxidants:
- Ascorbic acid.
- Glutathione.
- Melatonin.
- Tocopherols.
Therapeutic uses of antioxidants:
- Cataracts t: Vitamin C and E and the carotenoids are associated with delayed development of certain form of cataract. Improvement of vision is also positively associated with elevated level of these antioxidants.
- Diabetes: Vitamin C is an effective aldose reductase inhibitor and thus vitamin C may be helpful for therapeutic intervention in diabetes.
- Thrombosis: vitamin E is an important nutrient in reducing the oxidation of lipid. Vitamin E reduces platelet adhesiveness.
- Asthma: It has been suggested that increase in antioxidant intake may help in reducing oxidative stress, which helps in preventing and minimize the development of asthmatic symptoms.
- Preventing skin ageing: Age, mutation, and damage accumulate might be due to the reactive oxygen species that organism generate during aerobic metabolism. When these free radicals are produced in toxic amount they damage the cellular level of the body which can result in cell death and tissue damage.
- Parkinson’s disease: Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is sometimes found decreased in Parkinson's brains.
Good sources of antioxidants include all foods rich in Vitamin C, E and Beta Carotene. Antioxidants can also be obtained from green, red and yellow coloured vegetables and fruits, vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, and also from whole grains, wheat and wheat grams.