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ANTIOXIDANTS Overview

from the National Institutes of Health

Antioxidants are substances that may protect your cells against the effects of free radicals. Free radicals are molecules produced when your body breaks down food, or by environmental exposures like tobacco smoke and radiation. Free radicals can damage cells, and may play a role in heart disease, cancer and other diseases.

ANTIOXIDANTS and Cancer Prevention

Antioxidants neutralize free radicals as the natural by-product of normal cell processes. Free radicals are molecules with incomplete electron shells which make them more chemically reactive than those with complete electron shells. Exposure to various environmental factors, including tobacco smoke and radiation, can also lead to free radical formation. In humans, the most common form of free radicals is oxygen. When an oxygen molecule becomes electrically charged or “radicalized” it tries to steal electrons from other molecules, causing damage to the DNA and other molecules. Over time, such damage may become irreversible and lead to disease including cancer. Antioxidants are often described as “mopping up” free radicals, meaning they neutralize the electrical charge and prevent the free radical from taking electrons from other molecules.

How to use the DietGrail food database to find foods rich in ANTIOXIDANTS

This food database provides the contents of the following antioxidants: Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12 and Folate as well as fat, carbohydrate and protein calorie ratios of approximately 7,000 food items. A food's mineral and vitamin contents are displayed in charts to allow easy evaluation of its nutrition. You can use these vitamin and mineral charts to choose the most nutrient-dense and antioxidant-rich foods and avoid foods with empty calories.
Click on any of the column headers to sort foods.
In addition, the calorie pie chart shows the contribution of fat, carb and protein to the food's total calorie.
Foods can be searched by name and sorted by antioxidant contents to help you find the most appropriate foods.

Usage Note

• The contents of all antioxidants and other nutrients are calculated per 100g of food weight.
• Vitamins A, B12, Folate and Selenium are in mcg.
• Vitamins B6, E and C are in mg.
• Click on column header to sort foods by name or by antioxidant content.
• Pie chart shows relative contributions to total calories from carbohydrate, protein and fat (and alcohol, if exists).
• The mineral and vitamin charts show the relative contents of minerals and vitamins of each food. The higher the bubble, the higher mineral or vitamin content a food has relative to other foods. The larger the bubble, the greater the mineral or vitamin content relative to the Recommended Daily Allowances.

Additional Information about ANTIOXIDANTS

from the National Institutes of Health

Oxidation—one of the body's natural chemical processes—can produce "free radicals," which are highly unstable molecules that can damage cells. For example, free radicals are produced when the body breaks down foods for use or storage. They are also produced when the body is exposed to tobacco smoke, radiation, and environmental contaminants. Free radicals can cause damage, known as "oxidative stress," which is thought to play a role in the development of many diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, cancer, eye disease, heart disease, Parkinson's disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. In laboratory experiments, antioxidant molecules counter oxidative stress and its associated damage.

The body can produce its own antioxidants and also obtain them from food. Antioxidants are abundant in vegetables and fruits and are also found in grain cereals, teas, legumes, and nuts. Examples of antioxidants include folate, selenium, vitamins B6, B12 and vitamins A, C and E. Many antioxidants are also available as dietary supplements.

Current Researches on ANTIOXIDANTS

Because antioxidants are widely used, and because there is laboratory and observational evidence of potential health benefits, antioxidants are the subject of extensive research across NIH, including recent NCCAM-sponsored studies that have been investigating:

Three antioxidant regimens—Ginkgo biloba, alpha-lipoic acid/essential fatty acids, and vitamin E/selenium—as potential treatments for multiple sclerosis

Lipoic acid, an antioxidant used in the treatment of diabetic neuropathy, to improve blood vessel reactivity and decrease oxidative stress in people with high cholesterol

The safety of the vitamin E supplement gamma-tocopherol in healthy people and those with asthma and allergies

The combination of vitamins E and C to enhance airway antioxidant levels in people with allergic asthma and reduce the incidence of preeclampsia among pregnant women with chronic hypertension or a history of preeclampsia/eclampsia

Alpha-lipoic acid and fish oil to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease

Whether alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) supplementation affects the progression of carotid atherosclerosis (narrowing or hardening of the carotid artery) in patients with coronary artery disease

The safety and efficacy of vitamin E in slowing the rate of cognitive and functional decline in older persons with Down syndrome.

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