Anti-oxidants

They are all the rage!!! Help fight cancer and live longer with the help of nature's superfood vegetables and fruits. Well, that's not quite how it goes; marketing and science collide to produce supplements. Real food is broken down so that the elements which make it good for us are seperated and repackaged into tablets and drinks, shakes and food enhancers (enriched with...).

A recent study (Physiological Levels of Reactive Oxygen Species are Required to Maintain Genomic Stability in Stem Cells, Tao-Sheng Li, Eduardo Marbán, Stem Cells, AlphaMed Press, 2010) however has suggested this process of repackaging the antioxidants could be more harmfull than good. Eduardo Marban, MD, PhD, director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, discovered that the addition of high levels of antioxidants to human cardiac stem cells produce exactly the result he wasn't looking for. His research was to discover ways to reduce naturally occuring genetic abnormalities and instead he found an agent that caused mutation.

The suggestion from this research has been that large does of supplemental antioxidants in other words vitamins may not be having the positive effect you are hoping for. There is mounting evidence giong back some 10 or so years which supports this latest finding, however the general advice is confused at best. Most advice is pretty weak with moderation in supplementation being ok but mega dosing isn't recommended and the best option is to eat your vegies and fruits.

I had to ask myself after reading a recent article in The Jean Hailes Foundation for women's health national magazine, that folate was artificially added to processed foods because women were not getting enough of it from natural sources. Natural sources include dark green leafy vegetables (such as spinach and collard greens), cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, beets, green beans, root vegetables, asparagus, corn, brussel sprouts,strawberries, oranges, other citrus fruits and citrus fruit juices, tomatoes, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, raspberries, avocados, bananas, watermelon, dried beans and peas, nuts, seeds, lentils, wheat germ, whole grains, liver, organ meats, yogurt, cheese. Now I don't see how anybody could fail to get a dose of folate with many options to choose from.

So the only answer is too many people are reaching for tablets and quick fixes instead of eating REAL WHOLEFOODS!

Some time ago I investigated antioxidant supplements from an unnamed manufacturer, I sat and listened to the speil which was incredibly well presented and very convincing. Included in this sales pitch was a tonne of evidence that proved we still don't have the science to understand how whole foods are good for us, but we know they are. Essentially we still don't understand how the minerals and vitamins, fibre and amino acids and all sorts of phyoestrogens and other goodies in real food interact with each other to produce the wonderful effect of wellbeing.

While I was only hearing what I already knew, the supplement maker promised to supply us with a product that adhered to those principals of whole food by creating a complex mix of nutrients and vitamins within it's powders. UM - just go eat an apple, why reienvent the wheel when the wheel works really really well???????????

We eat too many processed food options as it is without adding a false hope of vitality with supplemetation and quick fixes - have a look at these tips from MedicineNet on how and why you should be eating whole foods. Enjoy your eating experience and get as much vegetable on your plate as your vitamin deprived stomach can handle!