Antioxidants Help with the Harmful Effects of Eating

Eating foods regardless of how pleasurable the meal might be, creates stress on the body-this stress occurs as the body begins to digest the foods and creates oxidation stress. As you digest foods, harmful molecules are released known as free radicals.

Studies have concluded that foods that are rich in antioxidants like the acai berry can help in fighting off these harmful and toxic free radicals. The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has mentioned that it highly recommends people eat at least some kind of anti-oxidant rich food at every meal.

A recent study was conducted to learn more about the effects of antioxidants on after meal, oxidation stress by using clinical studies with healthy female volunteers.

The studies found that the woman’s blood plasma declined after eating meals that have no antioxidants. However, when the meals were prepared with antioxidant rich acai berry fruit, the blood plasma stayed at the same level with no decline whatsoever.

The scientists concluded that eating meals that lack antioxidants can lead to cellular damage by free radicals. The increase in free radical damage is hypothesized to be the cause of cancer, and other debilitating diseases.

The research was part of a larger study that was conducted to find out how the human body consumed antioxidants in cherries, dried plums, red grapes, aside very, strawberries, and wild berries.

Scientist used a method known as ORAC (oxygen radical absorbent capacity) to look into the fruits and their antioxidant concentration and effectiveness.

The US government currently has no guidelines on the amount of antioxidants the human body should have to fight and rid itself of these harmful free radical damage.

The entire research results can be found in the 2007 Journal of the American College of Nutrition.