This article talks about antioxidants and how they can help with life extension and anti-aging.
We hear about antioxidants through the media and in health books. But very few people really know what antioxidants are or how they work.
What Are Antioxidants And How Do They Work?
To put it simply, free radicals – which are created within the body through normal living and through some external factors – cause oxidation, which can break down cells in the body.
They are naturally occurring substances that work against the process of oxidation.
Major factors in our modern lifestyle have a profound effect on free radical production, including pollution, refined fatty foods, stress, smoking, recreational drugs and viruses.
As you may know, the breakdown of healthy tissue can lead to seriosu diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, chronic bowel problems and numerous other illnesses prevalent in the twenty-first century.
By taking antioxidants regularly through food and vitamin supplements we can slow free radical damage. These »chemicals« should be an essential part of our daily living!
Not only can anti oxidants increase our life span, but can also improve the quality of our life through greater wellbeing and vitality.
Foods Rich With Antioxidants
The main foods rich in antioxidants are orange fruits and vegetables such as oranges, sweet potato, pumpkin, carrots, mangoes, peaches, paw paw, nectarines and apricots, which contain vitamins C and A.
Vitamin E, found in avocados and wheatgerm oils, and in smaller amounts in cold-pressed olive oils and cold-pressed vegetable oils, is also a vital antioxidant.
Certain herbs and other food substances, such as garlic, sage, turmeric, rosemary, schisandra and St Mary’s thistle, green tea and black tea, grape seed and co-enzyme Q10, have also been found to have significant antioxidant properties.
More Foods That Help With Anti-Aging And Well-Being
Fish Oils
Fish oils have been found to protect the myelin sheath, which function with the nerves like the outer plastic coat of an electrical wire.
Myelin acts as an insulator and protects the sensitive nerves, helping to conduct impulses. It is thought that those who have keen mental powers in later life may have a genetic predisposition that protects the myelin sheath from breaking down.
We would all be wise to take fish oils, ginkgo and antioxidants. Multiple sclerosis sufferers have been found to have inflammation of the myelin sheath, and research is holding out positive hope for more findings on how to restore this sheath in the chronic stages of this illness.
Ginkgo
The ginkgo is a deciduous tree that has been around for 150 million years.
The research of German scientists in the 1960s showed that ginkgo is an excellent treatment for circulation problems. The herb brings more oxygen to the tissues, particularly brain tissue. The leaves contain active substances known as flavonoids.
Ginkgo is wonderful for treating problems of memory, tinnitus, dizziness and the effects of high altitude, and it is especially helpful for the early effects of dementia. It can help enhance memory, particularly in the 50-plus age group.