Antioxidants
We often hear so much about antioxidants when we talk about food. But what are they, and how do they work? Are the antioxidants in our foods always physiologically active in the human body? If not which ones are, and how can we maximize their potential to do good work for us?
I was cooking some forbidden black rice tonight and I got to thinking about antioxidants. You see, black rice is full of phytochemicals called anthocyanins, which are flavonoids (which will be covered in greater detail much later. like after grad school). Anthocyanin containing foods are often touted for their antioxidant content, but do anthocyanin-containing foods really work to ward off reactive oxygen species (ROS) after humans consume them?
So, first things first: are anthocyanins antioxidant compounds? Yes, but as far as we know only in plants. Does that mean that flavonoids won't help your body deal with ROS and RNS? Not at all. What the literature does show us, is that anthocyanins and other flavonoid compounds act as signaling molecules, that can tell our cells to start translating our genetic code into antioxidant enzymes. This Translation is what allows us to make our own endogenous antioxidants. DIY is in right now anyway isn't it?
So to wrap this all up, do we want to eat our colorful foods? Yes, but we don't want to think of them as magical antioxidant-containing health bombs that attack any illness (at least until it's proven in the lab), but rather as friendly messengers that tell our cellular machinery to get to work scavenging free radicals.
So next time someone tries to sell you a food because it's packed with antioxidants, maybe take a second look. The only confirmed exogenous antioxidants we know about right now are vitamins C and E. All of the other compounds are important but they don't necessarily scavenge free radicals, they tell your cells to do that work on their own.. Do you have any questions about antioxidants? I know they're massively popular and being added to all kinds of food products. So get at me in the comments if I made a mistake or you have a question.