4 Super High Antioxidant Foods That Should Be a Part of Your Anti-Aging Diet

Antioxidant has become one of the most important buzz words of the decade. It seems that every time you peak up a health related magazine there’s more news about the health benefits of an antioxidant diet. These free radical scavengers which mop up the damage caused by the effects of toxins and the natural aging process on the body play a key role in preventing chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer as well as slowing down the effects of aging on the body and the brain. Unfortunately, most people don’t get enough high antioxidant foods in their diet, particularly if they eat a typical American diet consisting mostly of processed foods.

One way to increase your blood level of antioxidants is to choose those foods which are the highest in antioxidant levels. Most of these foods consist of fruits and vegetables with four foods being particularly high in antioxidant levels. In fact, these foods are considered to be some of the highest antioxidant foods known. Antioxidant levels are measured by using a scale called the ORAC or oxygen radical absorbance capacity which gives a value that allows you to compare the antioxidant potential of one food with another. Here are four foods that measure the highest on the ORAC scale:

High antioxidant food: Cranberries

These brilliantly red berries that grace the table at Thanksgiving celebrations do more than just dress up the turkey. They’re a rich source of proanthocyanidins, a class of antioxidants which appear to have an anti-aging effect on brain cells, most likely related to its ability to protect brain cells from oxidative damage. It appears to help offset the loss of memory and coordination that occurs with advancing age and may play a role in protecting against certain neurological diseases associated with aging. If you can’t appreciate the tart taste of these berries, there are cranberry supplements available at most health food stores.

High antioxidant food: Blueberries

Blueberries are another high antioxidant food that are though to help preserve brain function due to their high anthocyanidin content. A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience showed that blueberries appears to offset age related short term memory loss and loss of coordination associated with aging in rats. With a measured ORAC value of 8,963, it’s not surprising that blueberries pack a potent antioxidant punch. Blueberries also have powerful antioxidant properties which helps to reduce the effects of photoaging and preserve the collagen support structure of skin.

High antioxidant food: Beans

It may surprise you to learn that beans measure high on the antioxidant scale. Three types of beans with a particularly high antioxidant potential are the small red bean (ORAC = 13,272), the red kidney bean (ORAC = 13,259), and the pinto bean (ORAC = 11,864). In general, darker colored beans are associated with higher levels of flavonoids and thus have a higher antioxidant potential. Beans are a simple, inexpensive way to add extra antioxidant power to your diet.

High antioxidant food: Aronia black chokeberry

This small, dark berry with its rich, purple coloration has an ORAC value of 16,062, one of the highest known for any fruit or vegetable. This puts it in a class by itself in terms of antioxidant potential. Studies are currently ongoing to determine the potential of the chokeberry to prevent a host of age-related disease such as cancer and heart disease. Like the blueberry, they’re a rich source of anthocyanidins and have anti-inflammatory activity which plays such a critical role in aging. Expect to hear more about this amazing berry in the future. In the meantime, you may want to add more of these small berries to your diet.

Antioxidants appear to play a key role in slowing down the aging process and adding these four foods to your diet can be a simple and inexpensive way to protect yourself against age related diseases.

Antioxidants and What They Can Do For Your Skin

It’s the age of the antioxidant. It seems a day doesn’t go by without us hearing about the remarkable potential of antioxidants to scavenge free radicals that can cause cell damage. Evidence is accumulating that applying certain antioxidants to the skin surface can decrease the appearance of lines and wrinkles associated with aging as well as prevent new ones. There’s a lot of confusion and misinformation regarding antioxidants for skin with cosmetic companies claiming their products reduce the signs of aging when they actually don’t. In this confusing world of skin creams and anti-aging claims, which topical antioxidants actually work? Here’s the low down on antioxidants that may reduce the signs of aging:

Antioxidants for skin: Grape Seed

There are a variety of cosmetic products which incorporate grape seed into their skin care formulations including Lancome’s VineFit Cool Gel. Grape seed is a rich source of proanthocyanidins which are strong free radical scavengers that can reduce damage to cells of the body. Studies in rodents have shown that when grapeseed extract is applied to the skin, it helps to promote wound healing. Another study showed that mice given grape seed extract had significantly fewer skin tumors. This suggests that grape seed may be exerting its antioxidant effect in these mice since free radical formation is thought to play a role in the development of skin tumors. There’s also evidence that grape seed may reduce the breakdown of collagen with aging and reduce the pigmentation of sun related skin lesions.

Analysis:

The verdict is still out as to whether grape seed can actually reduce the visible signs of aging, although many dermatologists believe that it does have a positive impact on the appearance of photoaging skin. It would make sense that grape seed with its strong ability to destroy free radicals might have positive effects on aging skin damaged by sun exposure.

Antioxidants for skin: Green Tea

A variety of studies have supported green tea’s role in preventing the development of skin cancers related to sun exposure when applied to the skin surface. It’s thought to exert this protective effect secondary to its antioxidant properties as well as its ability to reduce inflammation. A topical green tea cream was shown in a study to improve levels of elastin in the skin which should have a positive impact on the progression of aging. Whether or not it can actually reverse skin aging is still unknown. It also appears to have some effect on lightening areas pigmented by overexposure to the sun.

Analysis:

Green tea does appear to have some ability to even out skin pigmentation, protect against sun damage, and, possibly, reduce the appearance of wrinkles. There are a variety of skin creams available that have green tea as a component. Make sure you’re getting a cream with a high concentration of the green tea components.

Antioxidants for skin: Soy

Studies done on hairless mice treated with a soy extract were exposed to sunlight. The mice that were given the soy extract experienced less wrinkling, higher collagen levels, and a better skin appearance than the group who were not given soy extract. There’s also evidence that topical application of soy may reduce skin pigmentation due to sun damage.

Analysis:

Topical application of soy does appear to have some ability to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles as well as even out the skin tone. One cream that has soy as a component is Fresh Soy Formula Face Cream.

Other antioxidants for skin that appear to hold some promise in preventing and reversing the signs of skin aging include olive oil, milk thistle, and lycopene found in tomatoes. More studies will be needed to confirm whether or not these antioxidants are effective on human skin. Other antioxidants for skin that have been shown to have some ability to protect the skin against the ravages of aging include Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Coenzyme, and others.