There is increasing talk about the importance of "antioxidants" in the media.  This group of nutrients is often discussed in magazine articles and television commercials.  In many of these articles they completely skate over what it is that antioxidants do and why they are important to our health.

The general consensus is, "they're good, so take them."  But if you're anything like me, you'd probably like to know why you should be taking them.  In today's post I'd like to talk about why these nutrients are important and what it is they actually do in the body. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

What happens to old automobiles?  They usually accumulate rust. Rust is caused by the "oxidation" of the iron that the automobile is made of.  Oxidation is when the oxygen in the air interacts with metal in the car and causes it to breakdown.

The same thing happens in humans, except it isn't called rust, it's called Oxidative Stress.

Oxidative Stress is what happens when reactive forms of Oxygen and Nitrogen (free radicals) cause damage to the cells and tissues of your body.  If enough of this damage occurs it can drastically affect your health.  Those effects may be global, meaning it can effect the health of every organ and tissue in your body at the same time!

If you're looking for a reason everything is going wrong with your health at the same time, Oxidative Stress, might be a good place to start!

The cells in your body communicate through a variety of receptors that are on the outside of the cell.  These receptors react to the hormones and neurotransmitters that your body uses to regulate itself.  Oxidative Stress can damage these receptors to the point that they are not functional and this can disrupt how your body functions and open the possibility for disease.

Oxidative Stress means that your body has too many "Free Radicals" floating around in it messing things up.  These Free Radicals are looking for electrons.  Electrons are parts of atoms that make up the cells of your body.

So what do Antioxidants do?

Antioxidants are nutrients that freely give up electrons.  So if Free Radicals are constantly stealing electrons and causing damage to the body, Antioxidants can help protect the body from this.  This decreases Oxidative Stress in the body and increases it's ability to maintain itself.

Is There a Blood Test for Oxidative Stress?

Yes, however it isn't part of the standard panel. It's called a "Lipid Peroxide" test. Lipid Peroxides increase in your body when you're under Oxidative Stress.

So What Are Good Antioxidants?

There are many natural sources out there.  Some of the best come from fruits and vegetables.  The pigments in plants are natural antioxidants.  So when you go to the supermarket the more colors of fruits and vegetables you can get the better!

Berries like strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and so on are a very easy way to lower your Oxidative Stress.  Juicing can concentrate these pigments also and give you concentrated "Antioxidant Therapy."

Supplement-wise, good Antioxidants are Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, Beta-Carotene, and Lycopene.  There are more, but these are the ones that immediately spring to mind.

If you are suffering ill health, please consider altering your Antioxidant Status.  Give it a few weeks of consistent effort and see if you notice a difference.