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When talking about body detox or how to cleanse the body of toxins, it is impossible not to mention antioxidants. This includes antioxidant drinks and food that one must be familiar with.
But, what really are antioxidants and what do they do for our health? Let’s find out.
What are antioxidants?
Antioxidants are substances inside our body that protect our cells from radical damage or the so-called oxidation. This damage can happen when we become exposed to specific chemicals, smoking, pollution and radiation.
Moreover, antioxidants come in various forms. The following are all considered antioxidants: selenium, manganese, vitamin A and related carotenoids, vitamins C and E, lycopene, lutein, quercetin, flavonoids, phenols, polyphenols, phytoestrogens and many more.
What are the benefits of antioxidants?
Different antioxidants offer different benefits to our health and body. At this point of the article, we will explore the wonders of antioxidants.
Improve Skin Health
Exposure to dangerously high levels of ultraviolet rays, caused photo-oxidative damage to our skin. This damage is caused by the formation of various kinds of reactive species of oxygen such as singlet oxygen, superoxide radicals, and peroxide radicals.
The aforementioned types of reactive species is harmful to the proteins, DNA and cellular lipids. Research also shows that they greatly contribute to diseases like erythema or sunburn, photo dermatoses, skin ageing, skin cancer and more.
With that said, antioxidants such as astaxanthin, beta-carotene and vitamin E help protect the skin from these reactive species and improve the skin’s overall health.
Strengthen the Immune System
Another benefit that antioxidants bring to our health is that it strengthens the immune system. Singlet oxygen, one of the many reactive species of oxygen, can bring huge damage to our immune system because it is a catalyst for the production of free radicals.
Antioxidants like Astaxanthin and Spirulina show promising effects in enhancing non-specific and specific immune system. They also protect cell membranes and cellular DNA from mutation.
