{"id":492,"date":"2010-12-05T14:30:13","date_gmt":"2010-12-05T14:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.richardfrancissalon.com\/salon\/?p=492"},"modified":"2020-02-18T16:24:50","modified_gmt":"2020-02-18T21:24:50","slug":"antioxidant-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.richardfrancissalon.com\/salon\/2010\/12\/antioxidant-update\/","title":{"rendered":"Antioxidant Update"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1436454240000{border-top-width: 25px !important;padding-top: 20px !important;border-top-color: #dd9933 !important;border-top-style: solid !important;}”][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_custom_heading source=”post_title” font_container=”tag:h1|font_size:40px|text_align:left|color:%23ce6c13|line_height:50px” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]By Lisa Marshall, Aug 24, 2009 \u201cDelicious Living Magazine\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

What you need to know to get the most out of these phytonutrients.<\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

Vitamins C and E, green tea, red wine, blueberries, pomegranates \u2013 just mention\u00a0antioxidants and aging Baby Boomers perk up, intrigued by the notion that a simple food\u00a0source could help fend off disease and slow aging. But recent headlines about the\u00a0inefficacy of single-antioxidant supplements, such as vitamin E, have fueled doubts about\u00a0these miracle compounds. With consumers spending $3.3 billion annually on antioxidant\u00a0supplements, according to Nutrition Business Journal, the question looms: Do they work,\u00a0or not?\u00a0Absolutely, say researchers: Just not the way we thought they did. \u201cThe evidence is very\u00a0strong that dietary antioxidants can promote health and reduce risk for chronic disease,\u201d\u00a0says Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at Tufts\u00a0University. \u201cBut we now recognize they do more than quench free radicals.\u201d\u00a0In fact, scientists say, certain \u201cindirect antioxidants\u201d\u2014like sulforaphane from broccoli,\u00a0curcumin from turmeric, or anthocyanins from berries\u2014can actually prompt the body to\u00a0produce more of its own antioxidants, mounting a powerful defense against oxidative\u00a0stress for several days. Meanwhile, new research is showing all antioxidants\u2014whether\u00a0\u201cdirect\u201d or \u201cindirect\u201d\u2014seem to work better together. \u201cLoading up on one antioxidant\u00a0would be like sending in one fireman to put out a fire,\u201d says Canadian nutritionist and\u00a0holistic physician Bryce Wylde, author of The Antioxidant Prescription (Random House,\u00a02008). \u201c[Antioxidants] work like a team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Easy ways to harness antioxidant power<\/h3>\n

Antioxidants discovered<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Load up on \u201cindirect\u201d antioxidants, which fuel your body\u2019s own production, including\u00a0sulforaphane, found in broccoli and broccoli sprouts, brussels sprouts, and other\u00a0cruciferous vegetables; curcumin, found in the curry spice turmeric and in supplements;\u00a0and the antioxidants in licorice, shallots, tonka beans, and the herbs milk thistle and\u00a0ashwaghanda.<\/li>\n
  • Steer clear of mega-doses of single \u201cdirect\u201d antioxidants, like C or E. In excess, they
    \ncan backfire and promote more free radical production.<\/li>\n
  • Take antioxidants in combination. They have a synergistic effect.<\/li>\n
  • Get your produce fresh and close to home. Studies show antioxidant potency fades
    \nwithin a few days.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    As far back as the 1950s, scientists began to notice that Mother Nature plays a cruel joke:\u00a0We need food and air to live, but as our cells metabolize nutrients and oxygen they create\u00a0\u201cfree radicals\u201d that flood our bodies and eat away at cell membranes. That \u201coxidative\u00a0stress\u201d is linked to everything from wrinkles to dementia to clogged arteries. In essence,\u00a0experts say, oxidative stress is why we age.<\/p>\n

    When we\u2019re young and healthy, our body churns out antioxidants to mop up those free\u00a0radicals. \u201cLike a new car, we have this remarkable array of catalytic converters to clean\u00a0up the byproducts of burning fuel,\u201d says Joe McCord, PhD, a pioneer in antioxidant\u00a0research from the University of Colorado\u2013Denver. The bad news, he says: The older we\u00a0get, the weaker our catalytic converters become.<\/p>\n

    At first, test-tube studies indicated that food-derived antioxidants could significantly
    \nbolster our defenses, gobbling up those circulating cell-destroyers. \u201cFor about 20 years
    \nthat was the buzz: You take Vitamin E or C and it annihilates free radicals,\u201d says
    \nMcCord. But it turns out the equation is not so simple.<\/p>\n

    Indirect vs. direct antioxidants<\/h3>\n

    Scientists now believe there are two kinds of antioxidants: \u201cDirect,\u201d like vitamins E and\u00a0C, which zap free radicals on their own, and \u201cindirect\u201d\u2014prevalent in cruciferous\u00a0vegetables, brightly colored berries, certain spices and traditional herbs\u2014that jump-start\u00a0the body to make its own antioxidants.<\/p>\n

    While direct antioxidants are valuable, researchers say, they are inferior in that each one\u00a0is deactivated after it takes out one free radical\u2014much like the bee that sacrifices its life\u00a0with a single sting. Consider the fact that you produce millions upon millions of free\u00a0radicals per day, and direct antioxidants are a bit like firemen armed with tiny buckets at\u00a0a house fire, says McCord. (By some estimates, you\u2019d have to consume 375 oranges or\u00a0120 Vitamin C tablets daily to break even).<\/p>\n

    Meanwhile, consuming indirect antioxidants (thus far, about 50 have been identified in\u00a0foods and herbs) is like turning on the hose, creating an endless stream. \u201cIndirect\u00a0antioxidants are going to make a big splash in how we treat diseases,\u201d says McCord.<\/p>\n

    Synergy unveiled<\/h3>\n

    Another important recent revelation: Antioxidants work better together. For instance,\u00a0says Blumberg, Vitamin C \u201crecycles\u201d Vitamin E \u201creturning it back to its active form so it\u00a0can quench another free radical.\u201d And sulforaphane is believed to work better with\u00a0curcumin (curried broccoli, anyone?), because the two use different routes to ignite\u00a0antioxidant defense.<\/p>\n

    According to one study, a proprietary blend of the indirect antioxidants ashwagandha,\u00a0turmeric, milk thistle, green tea, and Bacopa monniera worked up to 9 times better at\u00a0fueling antioxidant production than any one ingredient alone. Blumberg says that his own\u00a0research has shown that when E and C are combined in the lab, their antioxidant activity\u00a0more than triples.<\/p>\n

    This notion of synergy may help account for the two studies, published in the Journal of\u00a0the American Medical Association in December, 2008, and January, 2009, which found\u00a0no benefit of taking C or E supplements. \u201cThey were single antioxidants, not\u00a0combinations,\u201d says Blumberg, who believes the studies were flawed in other ways too:\u00a0\u201cThe dosage might have been off, and the cohorts were particularly healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Meanwhile, several new studies suggest that taking too much of a single antioxidant can\u00a0backfire: One study of 22 patients undergoing surgery for aortic aneurysm found those\u00a0who took Vitamin C tablets before the surgery had more oxidative stress afterward than\u00a0those who didn\u2019t. And a 2005 meta-analysis of 19 clinical trials found that high-dose\u00a0vitamin E (400 IUs or more) was associated with greater all-cause mortality.<\/p>\n

    In the meantime, Blumberg advises consumers to stay healthy the old fashioned way: By\u00a0eating at least nine servings of fresh fruits and vegetables per day, striving for variety and\u00a0emphasizing cruciferous vegetables and foods with deep colors.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″]