Fighting The War On Free Radicals  

Broadly speaking, the word antioxidant is used to mean a substance which helps to control oxidation rate in a reaction. This is an important phenomenon from the point of view of both chemistry as well as biology.

In biology the group of organic substances consisting of vitamins A, C & E fall under this category apart from several other substances. Inside the living cells there is a presence of free radicals which are the byproducts of various natural biological processes. These free radicals consist of oxygen molecules which have the affinity to become oxidized. This oxidation process can lead to the development of cancer in those cells. Therefore the antioxidants help to neutralize those free radicals through chemical reactions which act as cleaning agents inside the human body.

The importance of antioxidants from the human health point of view cannot be overemphasized. There are two ways people can increase their antioxidant protection. Eating food high in antioxidants or by consuming the proper antioxidant supplements. The natural way to consume antioxidants involves eating sufficient quantities of fruits, vegetables and wholegrains such as carrot, spinach, sweet potato, mangoes and oranges to name a few.

Caffeinated coffee is also supposed to be a good source of antioxidants as compared to decaffeinated coffee; but care should be exercised in consuming too much caffeinated coffee as that also could have the potential to cause harm (which would ultimately defeat the very purpose of taking it for health reasons).

Green tea is also said to be a sufficient source of antioxidants as compared to black tea. If your preferred beverage is tea, try switching to green tea for its antioxidant benefits.

As with any viewpoint on the planet, there are those for and those against reinforcing one's state of health through nutritional supplements. Talking from a more general perspective, the best bet for anybody is to enhance one's natural diet with natural foods and supplement as needed. A balance of minerals, vitamins, proteins and so forth is always necessary. Increase your exercise and strive for a serene and calm mind. Your mind and body both play key roles in keeping you healthy.