The Huge Benefits of Polyphenol Antioxidants
Polyphenol antioxidants found in green tea deliver amazing health benefits to us. What is it that these incredibly effective compounds do in our bodies?
Polyphenol Antioxidants
Oxygen is necessary for the existence of most life on earth. But if oxygen is allowed to run rampant and unchecked, oxygen can damage DNA, lipids, or proteins. Damage to DNA will either kill cells or turn them cancerous. Damage to lipids causes damage to membranes. Damage to proteins inactivates enzymes. All of these effects result in serious disease.
Antioxidants are compounds that help protect cells this oxidative problem. They function by blocking the reactive compounds caused by oxygen. The rapidly growing public interest in antioxidants is quickly ascertained by reading the labels on supplements in health food stores.
Studies reveal...
There are 2 main groups of antioxidants - polyphenols and flavonoids. Tea has been shown to contain about 3 grams of polyphenols per serving of tea leaves (Hibasami et al., 2000). Hibasami et al. (2000) found that, among Japanese and Chinese smokers, there was an abnormally low incidence of lung cancers, which they attributed to the high polyphenol content in tea.
The average daily intake of tea in Asia is six or seven cups—the minimum amount recommended for antioxidant protection. Although black tea is oxidized, it has still been shown to have protective effects, though less reliably than green (unoxidized) tea.
Attracting much interest today are the red wine polyphenols. Atkins (2000) recommends drinking one to two glasses of red wine per day.
Recommendations
Because studies are still not clear about the benefits of supplementing individual antioxidants, it is likely that they must all work together for maximum benefit. The brightly-coloured fruits and vegetables contain the most phenolic antioxidants.
Studies have shown that drinking six to seven cups of tea per day, as the Asians do, reduces risk of cancer and heart disease.
Much of this information comes from "Phenolic Antioxidants" Robin L. M. Cheung, BScH, MBA.
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