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ANTIOXIDANTS: THE BASICS | Nutrition 101 Ep. 4

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These antioxidant enzymes neutralize many types of disease-causing free radicals, ridding the body of their harmful effects. Supplements of these antioxidant enzymes are also available. Usually they are for oral administration in the form of pills or capsules. However, the absorption of antioxidant enzymes in supplement form is minimal at best. Now, you can find antioxidant supplements in the form of Vitamin A capsules in almost any pharmacy or health food store. Beta-carotene antioxidant supplements generally come from orange, yellow, and green leafy vegetables and fruit. It has been observed that people who eat a lot of foods rich in beta-carotene are not generally prone to cancer. By neutralizing, they themselves become oxidized. For this reason, our bodies are always in need of a constant source of antioxidants. How antioxidants work is a two-way process. First is the chain-breaking. This is where the antioxidant comes in to break the chain reaction of free radicals turning other molecules into free radicals like them. Because atoms seek to reach a state of maximum stability, an atom will try to fill its shell with electrons by: Gaining or losing electrons to either fill or empty its outer shell Sharing its electrons by bonding together with other atoms in order to complete its outer shell Free Radicals: The Formation The free radicals are formed when weak bonds between atoms are split. If there is one other thing you need to know about herbal antioxidants, it is that they are not naturally found in the body. Human beings are one of the few organisms that cannot produce their own herbal antioxidants for the body's use. That is why we have to depend on our diet in order to get our dose of herbal antioxidants. Flax oil is said to contain a high amount of lignans, protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals. Lignans especially is that substance in flax oil that has antioxidant properties. The Benefits of Flax Oil Lignans A natural plant chemical, lignans are antioxidant molecules with anti-cancer, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial properties. 

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