The Benefits of Antioxidants :
Have we discovered
the fountain of youth?

Okay, so now you know what antioxidants are and how they work, but so what?

The health benefits of antioxidants are amazing, because they're preventing damage to your body before it actually happens. Antioxidants and health are two terms that really can't be separated.

These are some of the many health benefits of antioxidants, but they can really be simplified into a few main categories...

The Health Benefits of Antioxidants:

1) Disease prevention

Antioxidants and disease prevention go hand in hand. Science has now proven that almost every disease is the result of accumulated damage from free radicals to affected cells. So if you can prevent this damage... Voila! You can prevent disease.

2) Antiaging

Antioxidant antiaging has also been proven scientifically. The symptoms that you normally associate with aging (decreased mobility, decreased mental function, aches & pains, wrinkles, etc.) are also the result of accumulated damage from free radicals to your cells. So if you can prevent this damage... Voila! You can slow the effects of aging.

Who's kidding who? You're not going to stop it, but it's the closest thing to the fountain of youth we have.

3) Natural Anti-Inflammatory

Anytime you are feeling aches and pains, it's the result of inflammation. Antioxidants stop the inflammation process at various stages. So whether you just injured yourself, or you have chronic inflammation, like arthritis, antioxidants can help.

In fact, inflammation is what is responsible for causing just about every disease there is. It is a direct result of the oxidative stress that free radicals cause. So the natural anti inflammatory effects that antioxidants have are actually part of the whole "disease prevention" benefit.

Your immunity is a complex cooperation of many different parts. Specific antioxidants have been shown to improve specific parts of that system. So when you get the proper combination of antioxidants... Voila! You boost your immune system.

which leads to...

5) Cold prevention

This is obviously a benefit of boosting your immune system so it really doesn't need to be a separate point, but it's such a great fringe benefit that I want to make sure to emphasize it.

Cold prevention is probably one of the most noticeable health benefits of antioxidants if you are already healthy to begin with. Preventing disease and the effects of aging are all theoretical when you're still healthy. But getting a fraction of the illnesses you used to get (and much less severe) is something you will really notice and appreciate.

Here is a website about a great food source of antioxidants to help you prevent colds. Click on Pomegranate and Colds - A Powerful Connection for more information.

Since it falls under the same "benefits of antioxidants" category, I added a special page for the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic:

Antioxidants are even more important when you look at specific topics like preschool health and nutrition or sports nutrition and health.

If you're not completely amazed and excited yet at the potential of antioxidants, you need to click on some of the links below. I just don't think I can stress quite enough how important the health benefits of antioxidants are...