#antioxidants : fighting against free radicals!

Many things are said about antioxidants, but what does it mean? Antioxidants are substances that act against the villains known as free radicals, which are molecules normally produced by the body; free radicals can hardly injure or even kill our cells causing accelerated aging as well as diseases such as atherosclerosis, diabetes and even cancer. Antioxidants have become our allies as they prevent the formation of free radicals, reduce cells destruction and can even repair the damage .

Some factors increase the production of the feared free radicals: bad diet (chemical additives, preservatives and saturated fats), smoking, excessive alcohols ingestion, stress and pollution.

However many foods are natural sources of antioxidants, especially fruits and vegetables, and their intake reduces the harmful effects of free radicals. I mention here the beta- carotene (yellow / orange coloured vegetables), vitamin C (citric fruits), vitamin E (oily grains and seeds), flavonoids (red grapes and red wines), lycopene (reddish foods such as tomatoes, watermelon and guava) .

In upcoming posts, we'll talk about synthetic antioxidants (a powerful weapon in the prevention and treatment of aging!), which can be used orally or topically, directly on the skin. Coming soon...