antioxidant question

[Zaphirah]

I understand that antioxidants are important to rid the body of free radicals. It is my understanding that the antioxidants bind up the free radicals and are then eliminated from the body-is that right?

Also-are detoxing and binding up free radicals THE SAME EXACT THING-or are they 2 different processes?

I'm asking because I have been feasting on foods that are super high in antioxidants and I had a super-duper bad headache last night.

Can you over-do it on antioxidants? :confused:

[Inca_faerie]

Antioxidants neutralize free radicals so that they don't do any damage so no they aren't eliminated from the body just made harmless by the antioxidants.

As far as I know detoxing is the process by which your body cleanses itself of poisonous/harmful "old gunk";) that would most likely cause future harm to your body.

I think it would be impossible to overdo it on antioxidants. The more you consume the more free radicals you are "quenching" thus rendering them harmless and slowing down the aging process. Unfourtunetly the most damaging free radicals are generated by the mitochondria and can't be mopped up by consuming antioxidants because the outer cell wall of the mitochondria blocks them from entrance. What you can do to prevent mitochondrial damage is to consume more saturated fats(coconut fat) and less unsaturated fats(seeds,nuts) because the more saturated your cell membranes become, the less susceptible they are to free radical damage.

lol looks like I'm writing a book or something but I find this stuff fascinating so I can't really help myself.

Glycation also plays a huge role in the free radical/aging issue but i'm pretty sure I've blabbed enough for now so anyhoo...hope that helps!:)

[Zaphirah]

no! No ! Go on! I'm fascinated! :D

[Inca_faerie]

Okey dokey:D

Here's a snippet of an article about saturated/unsaturated fat and skin aging that I found interesting:

In the 1960s, Hartroft and Porta gave an elegant argument for decreasing the ratio of unsaturated oil to saturated oil in the diet (and thus in the tissues). They showed that the "age pigment" is produced in proportion to the ratio of oxidants to antioxidants, multiplied by the ratio of unsaturated oils to saturated oils. More recently, a variety of studies have shown that ultraviolet light induces peroxidation in unsaturated fats, but not saturated fats, and that this occurs in the skin as well as in vitro. Rabbit experiments, and studies of humans, showed that the amount of unsaturated oil in the diet strongly affects the rate at which aged, wrinkled skin develops. The unsaturated fat in the skin is a major target for the aging and carcinogenic effects of ultraviolet light, though not necessarily the only one.

As for me I've pretty much cut out all unsat fats in my diet expect a few almonds and the occoasional avocado. The cool thing about almonds is that you don't actually absorb all of the fat in them due to a kind of fiber they contain.

Onto glycation! a thing which really sucks actually.:p

From lef.com
Aging causes irreversible damage to the body’s proteins. The underlying mechanism behind this damage is glycation. A simple definition of glycation is the cross-linking of proteins and sugars to form non-functioning structures in the body. The process of glycation can be superficially seen as unsightly wrinkled skin. Glycation is also an underlying cause of age-related catastrophes including the neurologic, vascular, and eye disorders. Carnosine is a unique dipeptide that interferes with the glycation process.

Basicly that entails that the more sugars/carbs you consume the more glycated your body tissues will be. The worst offender of these sugars is actually fructose, even though it has a lesser impact on blood sugar than other sugars, it causes faster glycation than other sugars.

http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/128/9/1442

Not exactly great news for rawbies BUT on the upper hand the general raw diet contains large amounts of plant polyphenols which prevent glycation.

I think avoiding high amounts of fructose is a good idea (like agave and high fructose fruits) when it comes to slowing down aging/glycation and including polyphenol rich items like cacao and yerba mate tea in your diet to slow down that ridiculous aging process. Well that's pretty much all I know about this stuff...hope I didn't bore ya!:D

[Emma-Liza]

Er. How do you multiply a ratio by a ratio? I have 2 college degrees, but I never took a math class.

And if the studies are saying you can have better looking skin at the expense of your organs, I know which I'd choose! On the other hand (although they both already have age pigmentation!), if butter will make me pretty, then maybe....:p

[sport]

Could I Get An Antioxidant Overdose From the World's Healthiest Foods?

If it's possible to get an overdose of antioxidants from balanced consumption of whole, natural, organically grown foods, we are certainly a long way from witnessing that possibility in any scientific research study. What's so remarkable about research on antioxidants is that food studies consistently show benefits - and only benefits - to balanced consumption of whole, natural foods that provide the entire antioxidant juggling team. Studies showing increased health risk from consumption of antioxidants have always been studies including dietary supplements of antioxidants - and usually a few select antioxidants - not anything close to the full electron juggling team. Antioxidant supplements can definitely play a helpful role in lowering our risk of disease, but it's a mistake to think about antioxidant supplements as a kind of "insurance program" or "safety net" where we're just building up our army of "good guys." It's the complete juggling team that our body depends on, and that's one of the key reasons the World's Healthiest Foods are our best antioxidant bet.

from
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=143

[Inca_faerie]

Er. How do you multiply a ratio by a ratio? I have 2 college degrees, but I never took a math class.

And if the studies are saying you can have better looking skin at the expense of your organs, I know which I'd choose! On the other hand (although they both already have age pigmentation!), if butter will make me pretty, then maybe....:p

I'm not sure what you mean at the expense of your organs??:confused: For raw foodies, raw coconut butter/oil is the only kind that applies when it comes to saturated fat. I'm 90% sure that's the only saturated fat from plant origin.