Polyphenols act as antioxidants. The anti-inflammatory power of fruits and veggies.

They protect cells and body chemicals against damage caused by free radicals, reactive atoms that contribute to tissue damage in the body.

For example, when low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is oxidized, it can become glued to arteries and cause coronary heart disease.

“What Are Polyphenols”

Polyphenols is a kind of chemical that may protect against some common health problems and possibly certain effects of aging.

They can also block the action of enzymes that cancers need for growth and they can deactivate substances that promote the growth of cancers.

These natural compounds polyphenols not only give fruits and vegetables their color, but also provide powerful polphenol health benefits resulting from their anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative actions-A Boost Of Antioxidants

In addition, polyphenols also activate the key enzyme (AMP kinase) that helps restore cellular ATP levels. At high enough levels, these chemical substances can exert an anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the activation of inducible inflammatory proteins that normally occurs once the innate immune system has been activated.

Polyphenol Benefits

Polyphenols have recently been termed lifespan essentials, and they actively work in the body to prevent certain disease mechanisms from occuring.

They are antioxidants from plant foods that work in the body to enhance health in complex ways, and as such they are not simply antioxidants. Their specific health-promoting actions are still being actively researched, and it is generally recognized that polyphenols can reduce the risk factors for cardiovascular disease and basically help to protect many body systems from the risks or ravages of many types of chronic disease.

Polyphenols antioxidants: Boosting one’s intake of these antioxidants on a daily basis is easy to do, and can be a tasty, gourmet adventure.

Eat and drink polyphenol-rich foods throughout the day, and maintain high levels of these natural compounds in your body and bloodstream throughout the day! Eat and drink the polyphenol-rich foods that are described below every few hours.

Blood levels of polyphenols will peak soon after they are consumed, then decrease as they are metabolized or excreted from the body. Some will not be absorbed into the bloodstream, but will merely pass through the digestive tract. These are very important as well because they may help to prevent colon cancer and such diseases.

Polyphenols In Teas

Tea polyphenols-all tea contains these polyphenols . Teas and polyphenols isolated from tea have been shown in the laboratory to act as scavengers of oxygen and nitrogen-free radicals, protecting the fatty membranes of cells, proteins and DNA.

The study showed that folks who drink tea fortified with green tea polyphenols every day for three months lost more body fat than those who drank regular oolong tea. Researchers say the results indicate that substances found in green tea known as catechins may trigger weight loss by stimulating the body to burn calories and decreasing body fat.

Most teas contain large amounts of polyphenols, which are plant-based substances that have been shown to have antioxidant, anticancer, and antiviral properties. However, green tea is particularly rich in a type of polyphenols called catechins.

These substances have also been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties, but recent research in animals show that catechins may also affect body fat accumulation and cholesterol levels.

Polyphenols research

A recent meta-analysis from Germany stated an amazing find!
polyphenol-rich cocoa could reduce blood pressure to a similar extent as beta-blockers

Researchers from the University Hospital of Cologne compiled data from five studies on the effects of cocoa on blood pressure involving 173 participants, and found that consumption of the ingredient had significant positive effects on blood pressure.

Phenolic acids account for about one third of the total intake of polyphenols in our diet, and flavonoids account for the remaining two thirds. Flavonoids are further subdivided into several categories.

Flavonoids are a subclass of polyphenols. Flavonoids are widely distributed in nature, these specific groups of foods are often rich sources of one or more subclasses of these polyphenols. The polyphenolic structure of flavonoids and tannins renders them quite sensitive to oxidative enzymes and cooking conditions.

Catechins or Flavanols — are found found in tea green tea extract. Grape seeds have the monomeric flavan-3-ols catechin, epicatechin, gallocatechin, epigallocatechin, and epicatechin 3-O-gallate.

Procyanidins-oligomeric catechins found at high concentrations in red wine, grapes and grape seeds, cocoa, Cranberry, apples, and some supplements such as Pycnogenol have pronounced effects on the vascular system. Apples contain many kinds of polyphenols, and the main components are oligomeric procyanidins.

Applephenon is apple polyphenol extract produced commercially from unripe apples, and has been used as food additive in order to prevent oxidation of components in foods.

Resveratrol is an exciting polyphenol which has been in the news a great deal for potential anti-cancer and anti-aging benefits.

Polyphenol Foods

Eat Dark Chocolate and cocoa powder. Chocolate and cocoa are somewhat refined, but are one of the richest sources of polyphenols.

Choose dark, bitter chocolate and unsweetened cocoa. The saturated fat in chocolate should not raise bad cholesterol when consumed in moderation.

Rich colors such as reds and purples or black indicate that plant foods are excellent sources for polyphenols benefits. Choose foods such as blueberries, pomegranates, red grapes, cranberries, and red or purple sweet potatoes.

Check These Foods On the Orac Scale

Choose richly hued fruits, such as black grapes, purple barley and blueberries, vegetables, and whole grains.

Blueberries as well as foods such as black rice, purple barley, black sorghum, and purple potatoes are sources of anthocyanins, as well as other polyphenols. The compound responsible for the color of turmeric, called curcumin, also happens to be a polyphenol.

What Are Polyphenols – Polyphenols Health benefits-Weight Loss Diet Tips 4 Life!

Antioxidants! What Are Antioxdants and what are the best Antioxidant foods

Antioxidant nutritition is all over the main stream media today and I’m sure people must wonder what they are and what can they do for me?

There are antioxidant drinks for those who are not into eating their 5 a day fruit portions, antioxdant supplements which can benefit a healthy lifestyle change. Green tea antioxidants which are full polyphenols, there are oodles of wonderful antioxidant teas available. Antioxidant vitamins are everywhere, but be careful what your buying… the old saying is very true, read the fine print (ingredients) and you only get what you pay for.

Natural Antioxidants

What are they? They are substances or nutrients in our foods which can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body.

What can antioxidant health benefits do for me?

They may protect cells from the damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals. I know this sounds all too technical. However, by understanding the basic concepts of antioxidants, you will be prepared to choose antioxidant nutrition and antioxidant dietary supplements that offer the benefits you want.

It is a very wide topic and can cover a lot of issues with ones health. Antioxidants are substances or nutrients in our foods which can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body. They may protect cells from the damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals.

Antioxidants-How they work

When our body cells use oxygen, they naturally produce the nasty free radicals (by-products) which can cause damage. You can’t avoid free radicals, their always there, if your breathing your taking free radicals into your body.

Antioxidants And Free Radicals

Antioxidants act as “free radical scavengers” and hence prevent and repair damage done by these free radicals. Health problems such as heart disease, macular degeneration, diabetes, cancer etc are all contributed by oxidative damage…here is one we all like Antioxidants, Antiaging.

Phytochemicals-Antioxidants

Phytochemicals are natural plant compounds found in vegetables and fruit. There you go! high antioxidant foods are fruits and veggies. These Antioxidants vitamins and other compounds that protect our cells from damage. Whole grain breads and cereals, brown rice and some nuts are also rich in these bioactive compounds (polyphenols). Many of these compounds (such as lutein and flavonoids) may help reduce the risk of cancer (antioxidants).

Antioxidant Sources

There are so many reasons why we need antioxidants, and we do not get enough in our daily diets on a regular basis. No one food or food compound can protect you from cancer, but a combination of foods from a diet rich in vegetables and fruit can.

Foods With Antioxidants

Chooses foods high in antioxidants rather than take supplements. Experts say that the health benefits may come from the interaction of the minerals, vitamins and antioxidants in food. Antioxidant supplements come in a variety of ways. Eating antioxidant foods are the number 1 way, but when our daily dose of antioxidant fruits and veggies does not provide us with enough antioxidant nutrition, we need the vitamins, antioxidants can provide.

Orac Antioxidants

Listed below is an Orac Scale. The USDA discovered this rating scale to measure the antioxidant content of various plant foods. Here you will find the value of blueberries antioxidants
They discovered that a small group of “super foods” have up to twenty times the Antioxidant Power of other foods. It is recommended that we eat antioxidant foods containing at least 3,000 orac units a day.

If you look at the top of the Orac Scale you will see that Cocoa and Acai berry are right up there waving at you…And I have news about that too…(Acai and Healthy Chocolate) but right now it is Antioxidant Health.

“Antioxidant Orac-The Top Ten Superfoods”

There are numerous scientific articles describing the health benefits of phenols and flavonoids which are potent antioxidants.

The main tests are known as the Orac (oxygen radical absorbance capacity), the HORAC (hydrogen radical absorbance capacity), and the NORAC (nitrogen radical absorbance capacity).

Orac Rating Scale

These tests attempt to measure a given foods absorbance capacity in vitro (in the glass). The values determined by these tests help scientist rate different products based on their absorbance capacity.

However, like most scientific or medical tests, you have to put them into perspective based on many variables. There are numerous factors that can influence and determine the effective value for a given food.

Antioxidant Research

The amount of water or fat present in the sample, the temperature, how thick it is, when the fruit was harvested, how they were processed, and how they were stored, etc. In a scientific study all these variables are controlled.

In the real world we cannot control the variables, so looking at specific numbers makes no sense in comparing one product to another. It is not the specific number that is important, it is the range of values for a antioxidant food.

Antioxidant Chocolate

Dark chocolate is excellent in terms of ORAC, NORAC, HORAC, total phenols, and epicatechins. The FDA has recommended that we digest a minimum of 4000-5000 Antioxidant ORAC a day.

There is no maximum amount, but it is important to remember that each is different and works at different sites in the body and at different times. A wide variety is needed to meet your body needs. Cocoa can provide an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber to meet the daily needs of your body.

Darker is better. Dark cocoa has a bitter taste because it is very high in antioxidants. Blueberries and acai berries also have a very high ORAC value.

Incorporate these antioxidant foods into your diet to boost your systems ability to counter oxidative stress and the many illnesses that can be associated with that stress.

Importance Of Antioxidants

It has been estimated that less than 1% of Americans get enough antioxidants a day to meet their needs.

The consumption of fruits and vegetables is very low in our country. The oxidative stress we face daily needs to be countered with high-quality antioxidant foods.

Healthy Dark Chocolate is delicious and very effective.

Benefits Of Antioxidants-What Are Antioxidants – Weight Loss Diet Tips 4 Life!