A number of different compounds act as antioxidants in the body. Some common antioxidant compounds include vitamins A, C, E, beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene and polyphenols.
Antioxidants function by protecting body cells against the damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are formed when the body uses oxygen to undertake normal everyday processes, and they're also introduced to the body through sun exposure, pollution, cigarette smoke and unhealthy diets.
Free radical damage causes cell damage, which can speed up the ageing process and weaken immune function. It is also implicated in the onset and progression of several chronic degenerative diseases such as heart disease and various forms of cancer
Where do you find antioxidants?
The most beneficial way to get antioxidants is by eating a balanced and varied diet containing a lot of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, spices, tea and coffee. Dietary supplements containing antioxidants don't appear to be as effective as those occurring naturally in foods.
Many fruits and vegetables in particular, are rich in antioxidants. It is often, but no always, those with bold appealing colours.
ZESPRI™ GREEN and GOLD Kiwifruit are particularly high in some forms of antioxidant compounds, so are an excellent addition to the diet for boosting your intake of antioxidants as a snack, or as part of a meal.
Kiwifruit as an antioxidant source
Scientific studies have found that eating ZESPRI™ GREEN and GOLD Kiwifruit actually increase blood levels of antioxidants.
There are various positive benefits to this:
- Firstly, it means that more antioxidants are present in the blood to help prevent oxidation of blood lipids (a finding of one key study)1. This is important because high levels of oxidised blood lipids is associated with greater risk of developing heart disease
- Secondly, after we eat a meal the process of digestion results in the formation of potentially damaging free radicals. A second study2 has shown that consuming antioxidant-rich fruits such as kiwifruit with a meal can increase blood levels of antioxidants to help deactivate the free radicals formed in the post-meal digestive processes
In addition, certain carotenoid antioxidants have been shown to be more readily absorbed from fruits (including kiwifruit) than dark green vegetables, indicating they are the best sources of carotenoid antioxidants available3.
References
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Chan WH, Liu Liu JF. Effects of kiwifruit consumption on serum lipid profiles and antioxidative status in hyperlipidemic subjects. (In press) ↑
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Prior RL, Gu L, Wu X, Jacob RA, Sotoudeh G, Kader AA, Cook RA. Plasma Antioxidant capacity changes following a meal as a measure of the ability of a food to alter In Vivo antioxidant status. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2007; 26(2): 170-81. ↑
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O'Connell OF, Ryan L, O’Brien NM. Xanthophyll carotenoids are more bioaccessible from fruits than dark green vegetables. Nutrition Research, 2007; 27: 258-64. ↑
