What do chocolate and red wine have in common?
Apart from being highly indulgent and a little bit naughty, they
are both high in antioxidants – the tiny battlers that help our bodies
fend off attacks from free radicals.
Free radicals are renegade molecules in our body that, through a process called oxidation, end up losing an electron. In order to compensate and regain stability, they attack the nearest healthy molecule and steal its electron. The 'attacked' molecule then becomes a free radical – starting a chain reaction.
While our bodies need some free radicals to combat certain viruses and bacteria, environmental factors like stress, smoking, pollution and ultra-violet radiation can cause our bodies to produce more free radicals than we need. And an excess of free radicals,
it can cause us harm.
The World Health Organisation believes an excess of free radicals contributes to the ageing process and links them
to many diseases including cancer and heart disease.
Alzheimer's Australia also links free radicals to nerve cell damage in the brain that can lead to neurological conditions like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.
Research has found that antioxidants –naturally occurring chemicals found in food – can neutralise the effects of free radicals by donating their spare electron to them. This ends the electron-stealing cycle and can reduce the risk of developing some of the diseases linked to free radicals.
The cancer link
There has been much talk in the media in recent times over the link between free radicals and cancer. This is because research has found that free radicals can damage our DNA and cell membranes making our cells more vulnerable to cancer. The theory goes that if antioxidants fight free radicals, they must also protect us against or help
us fight cancer.
Not everyone agrees. The National Institute of Cancer in the USA has found that while there is considerable laboratory evidence that indicates antioxidants may slow or prevent the development of cancer, the results from more recent clinical trials are less clear.
But recent research from the CSIRO indicates that the risk of cancer and heart disease is considerably lower in people who consume five to seven serves of antioxidant-rich fruit and vegetables per day.
Natural versus supplements
As the health benefits of antioxidants become more commonly known, so too has the popularity of antioxidant supplements in Australia.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimates that each year, Australians spend over a billion dollars on complementary medicines and vitamin supplements in the belief that they are boosting their health.
In reality, we can generally get all the nutrients we need from food through a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables.
And there is no evidence that artificial supplements have the same health benefits as natural antioxidants. The World Health Organisation reports that there is no scientific evidence to show that antioxidant supplements, beyond those found in a balanced diet, help prevent against diseases like cancer and heart disease.
And Danish researchers have recently found that some popular vitamin supplements may increase the risk of death, doing you more harm than good.*
So put away the pills and have yourself a glass of red with your next vegetable-rich meal instead.
The super fruit
Scientists at Tasmania's Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries are doing their bit to help the population fight the effects of free radicals by developing a range of "super fruits" that have up to seven times more antioxidants that the standard variety.
* Goran Bjelakovic; Dimitrinka Nikolova; Lise Lotte
Gluud; Rosa G. Simonetti; Christian Gluud "Mortality
in Randomized Trials of Antioxidant Supplements for
Primary and Secondary Prevention: Systematic Review
and Meta-analysis," Journal of the American Medical
Association vol 297 no 8 2007
Antioxidants …where can I find these?
According to the CSIRO, most of the antioxidants we need come from plants. All fruit and vegetables that are rich in colour,
like tomatoes and carrots, are high in antioxidants. Alzheimer's Australia also acknowledges the benefits of an antioxidant
rich diet and recommends Australians eat the following foods:
- Broccoli
- Prunes
- Spinach
- Avocado
- Oranges
- Red Grapes
- Capsicum
- Kiwi Fruit
- Cherries
- Onions
- Corn
- Eggplant
- Plums
- Brussel Sprouts
- Blueberries
|
