Page 16 - EatingWell Special Edition Superfoods 2019

D I S E A S E F I G H T E R S

property that’s ready to prevent, fight and repair to a chronic inflammatory response,” explains
immune-cell damage caused during battle. (Anti- Nielsen. It’s a disease domino effect: a shortage
oxidants are a class of substances, so they can be a of antioxidants leads to an abundance of free radi-
vitamin, a mineral or something else.) “If our im- cals, which leads to oxidative stress, which then
mune cells don’t have enough antioxidants, they leads to inflammation and a dysregulated immune
won’t be able to recover,” says Desiree Nielsen, system. A 2011 study in the journal Food and Bio-

R.D., the author of Eat More Plants. “We’ll be at an products Processing noted that our vast lack of an-
increased susceptibility to infection, wound heal- tioxidants expedites the development of cancer
ing will take longer, and your energy levels will de- and other big-hitter diseases, including cardio-
crease.” Low levels of antioxidants can even directly vascular, neurodegenerative, inflammatory and
diminish one’s ability to bounce back after health Alzheimer’s diseases. Of course, boosting anti-
events, such as an infection, a fall or surgery, accord- oxidant intake won’t eliminate all or any of these
ing to a 2019 study of folks 50 and older in the Jour- conditions altogether, but it would certainly help

nal of the American Medical Directors Association. drive them back and ease their severity.

Battling Oxidative Stress The Power of Protection
Antioxidants not only prevent, fight and repair A 2018 report in the Journal of Nutrition &
cell damage, they also act as cells’ main custodi- Food Sciences clearly states that consuming an
ans. Every day, our bodies anti oxidant-rich diet directly impacts longevity
crank out about 4 million by way of maintaining the health of your heart,
Women who free radicals. “You, me, the brain, lungs and other organs. More specifically,
consume healthiest people, everyone another 2018 study, this one in the American Jour-
the most makes free radicals,” says nal of Clinical Nutrition, found that a high dietary
antioxidants Blum. This is a natural, nor- intake of antioxidants, including vitamin C and ca-
had a 27% lower mal part of converting food rotenoids, was associated with a reduced risk of

risk of type 2 to energy (aka the meta- cardiovascular disease, total cancer and all-cause
diabetes than bolic process). In the sim- mortality. (Dietary, by the way, means via food, not
those who ate plest terms, free radicals are supplements.) Antioxidants even have an impact
the least. waste products of our me- on ALS (aka Lou Gehrig’s disease), a devastating

tabolism, and antioxidants neuro degenerative disorder. Research in JAMA
are the sponges, mopping Neurology found that consuming fruits and veg-
up the mess. “Every day, we make free radicals etables that are high in antioxidants can slow the
and clean them up, make free radicals and clean progression of the disease.
them up, and so on. We’re built to be able to prop- Then there’s the extensive research on anti-
erly maintain the balance between antioxidants oxidants and diabetes. The latest: women who
and free radicals,” says Blum. But for the major- consume the most antioxidants had a 27% lower
ity of us who fall short on the antioxidant front, risk of type 2 diabetes than those who ate the

the cleanup can’t keep up with the mess. And that least, according to a 2018 study in the journal
imbalance can cause big trouble. Diabetologia. That held true regardless of other
“Free radicals contain an unpaired electron, risk factors, such as smoking, cholesterol lev-
and electrons don’t like to be single. They be- els and BMI. And that’s why folks at Geisinger
come unstable,” says Nielsen. When not naturally Health System in Pennsylvania started the Fresh
cleaned up by antioxidants, these toxic bachelors, Food Farmacy, where patients with type 2 diabe-
so to speak, can go on to cause a whole lot of dam- tes receive free healthy, antioxidant-rich grocer-

age looking for a mate, throwing elbows at cells, ies every week, not meds. “We know that anti-
tissue, enzymes and DNA. “When the damage, oxidants help prevent or slow damage to the cells
called oxidative stress, keeps occurring, our im- in our body, and that’s why we give our patients
mune system attempts to repair it, which can lead up to 10 different fruits and vegetables each week

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