Antioxidants are substances which help in oxidation. These may be synthetic or non-synthetic. In terms of going organic, there are many fruits and vegetables that are a rich source of antioxidant compounds as well as many dietary supplements have them.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants and free radicals are counterparts to each other.  Free radicals are not good for your health, whereas antioxidants are good for your health. Free radicals are nascent atoms that are highly reactive and this attribute causes them to react with any adjoining body and reshape it.  This could be a membrane that surrounds your cells or DNA, or it may interfere with proteins.

Studies have categorized the list of antioxidants types that are useful for us. There are various Antioxidants present in your body.  These can be classified as vitamins, enzymes, minerals, antioxidant amino acids, hormones, metabolic factors and byproducts. We can talk about these antioxidants in a broad sense that is whether they are endogenous or exogenous. Either your body can make antioxidants for you, or you can have them externally in your diet or as supplements. You should also have a balance in between you endogenous and exogenous antioxidants.

Apart from causal intake, people take antioxidants to get a boost for specific benefits. Following is the list of antioxidants types:

Antioxidant Phytochemicals

Antioxidants’ phytochemicals are found in the natural whole food but not in the processed or canned food. It’s found in whole foods, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Antioxidants’ phytochemicals are sub-divided into the following categories:

  • Carotenoids
  • Flavonoids
  • Allyl sulfides
  • Polyphenols

Antioxidant Vitamins

Antioxidant vitamins are not naturally produced and so these are to be delivered through supplements and food. Antioxidant vitamins category is comprised of vitamins A, C, E, folic acid, and beta-carotene.

There are a variety of antioxidant and vitamin supplements available to help support your health and well-being. There are also daily wellness drinks available on the market that you can incorporate into your morning routine to enhance your feelings of overall health and vitality. You should always do your research to make sure that whatever product you choose is of good quality. It is always advisable to explore online reviews, such as Morning Complete reviews if you are looking at the addition of a daily wellness drink, for example. That way, you can gain insights into how these products have helped others and what they could do for you.

Antioxidant Enzymes

Enzymes are extracted from the diet that is rich in minerals and proteins that a human body consumes. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and catalases are present in antioxidant enzymes.

Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) as per its name suggests these are instable radicals. Within your body, these nascent and instable radicals are able to react with cellular components and are the cause of dysfunction of that cellular structure. In 2010 “Research Journal of Immunology”, scholars have stated that these interactions cause damage to your cells that then cause to start a chain of instability just because of the addition of single unbalanced radical. Nascent radical is highly unstable because in the outermost ring of their molecule electrons are not equally counteracted as there is positive charge in their nucleus. ROS are generated by your body in the reaction of another process in the act, like breathing, while metabolizing food or when your body generate new components. Similarly, exposure to certain environment generate ROS, in pollution you have higher levels of ROSs generated and when you take medications like anticancer.

ROS are also generated when we eat unhealthy foods like saturated fats and sugar-rich items. ROS with reactive nitrogen elements are a nitric oxide and nitrous oxide and these include a breakdown of peroxides like superoxide, hydroxyl, peroxyl, and alkoxyl. Oxidative stress is a condition when there is an abundance of these free radicals and this is an imbalance between the body’s ability to produce it and counteract or detoxify it. Oxidative stress can be tackled naturally and Antioxidants play their role in it.

As per their name implies, they prevent oxidation reaction by neutralizing the free radicals wandering around.  Antioxidants make them less reactive and more stable so this way they are way less harmful to adjoining bodies. So eat as much as fresh fruits and vegetables as you can to elevate the Antioxidants levels. Just by managing the levels of antioxidants in your body can help you to avoid risk for health conditions. Research Journal of Immunology explained that complications of diabetes are linked to oxidative stress that affects the cardiovascular system. By controlling blood sugar and taking sufficient antioxidant can help with this complication.

The National Cancer Institute explains that cancer is caused by cell damage that is preceded by oxidative stress, i.e. a number of free radicals are produced more than the antioxidants to counteract them. Lack of antioxidants lead to a degenerative condition that continues to rot the myelin sheath of your nerve cells, and this demyelination affects your brain to communicate with other cells, causing symptoms in the body like lack of coordination, weak immune system.