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Antioxidant Diet Helps Prevent Rust
By Elizabeth Penning

As people age, without a proper diet, the may begin to follow the path of the tin man in the Wizard of Oz. Their systems may begin to show signs of becoming rusty, which Dorothy was able to cure with oil. Research has shown that an antioxidant diet not only works as a rust remover, but also a rust inhibitor.

This parallel is drawn to help explain what happens in your body when certain biological functions are inhibited by free radicals flowing freely in the blood stream. Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms with an odd number of electrons, which can attach themselves to cells or cell membranes, which causes an interruption in the function of the cells. The benefit of an antioxidant diet is they offer themselves as a sacrifice to the free radicals to prevent them from attaching to other cells.

The use of antioxidants was initially used in lubricants and fuels to stop the oxidation of parts they touched. When it was found, that in a medical sense, the free radicals were working similarly as an oxidation agent researchers learned that an antioxidant diet could halt their effects and, in some instances, reverse them.

Some Foods Contain Natural Antioxidants

Vitamins A, C and beta-carotene have shown to be a rich source of antioxidants and when part of an antioxidant diet, basically sweep the free radicals from your system. This can help explain how some people, even with a family history or certain diseases, escape serious illness while other family members do not. Their antioxidant diet keeps the free radicals from causing any, or more, damage.

Vigorous exercise can increase the oxygen use of the body, which generates more free radicals. Some research has shown that those who exercise regularly, are rarely affected, one way or the other, by an antioxidant diet, those who only exert vigorous exercise occasionally, exhibit signs of producing more free radicals than their intake of antioxidants and may actually be doing more harm than good with their occasional bursts of exercise.

Unfortunately, even the most recent studies have not been able to determine the appropriate amount of antioxidants that are needed in an antioxidant diet. Studies have shown that in a normal antioxidant diet, Vitamin E and beta-carotene works as antioxidants but with a too-high intake, they can work as a pro-oxidant and actually cause additional harm. To determine if an antioxidant diet is necessary for you, consultation with your physician is highly recommended before beginning supplements as part of an antioxidant diet.

Author Details:
Elizabeth Penning, copywriter for various websites including, Natural Deodorant and The A to Z of with her main interests being holistic medicine and all things natural.

Article Source: Top Health Articles

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