Antioxidants - Their physiological role and how it relates to health claims

You often hear about antioxidants and the plethora of health claims that come with their usage, which often gives antioxidants an image of a mystical all-cure. In today's blog post i am hoping to share with you a scientific/pragmatic look into antioxidants and attempt to explain why do antioxidants come with so many beneficial claims.

In the previous post we spoke about antioxidants as a physiological (as in affecting the body) substances created to counteract free radicals which are produced in the body under normal living conditions.

As the body goes through normal biochemical cycles necessary to sustain living functions it accumulates free radicals as byproducts (think of it as reactive waste). If the level of antioxidants is too low to clear free radicals, the body is tipped over to oxidative stress, a harmful state that contributes to direct damage to your body.

Cell membranes are often the first targets of oxidative damage. While membranes of specific cells may be more or less susceptible to this damage, we know that the damage caused produces disruptions to cell activity and/or ultimately cell death.

As cell membranes compromise most of the body, it's widely therefore believed that antioxidants therefore may assist with the health of your eyes, your heart, your brain etc.

Here at Ox health we have evaluated with great interest a number of studies1,2,3 which looked at the direct correlation between mormodica cochinchinesis (Gac fruit) and its anticancer properties. The positive results of these studies reaffirmed our own beliefs regarding Gac and further general scientific knowledge on the subject of antioxidant supplementation.

Its the special chemical structure of Vitamin E that contributes to its ability as an antioxidant

References:

1. Wang M., Zhan Z., Xiong Y., Zhang Y., Li X., Cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory constituents from Momordica cochinchinensis seeds, Fitoterapia, Volume 139, 2019

2. Yu J.S., Roh H.-S., Baek K.-H., Lee S., Kim S., So H.M., Moon E., Pang C., Jang T.S., Kim K.H., Antiproliferative effect of Momordica cochinchinensis seeds on human lung cancer cells and isolation of the major constituents, Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia Volume 27, Issue 3, May–June 2017, Pages 329-333

3. Tran X, Parks S, Roach P, Golding J, Nguyen M, Effects of maturity on physicochemical properties of Gac fruit (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng.) ,Food Science & Nutrition 2016; 4(2):305–314