Importance of Antioxidants

One of the major causes of aging is free radical damage. As has been discussed earlier, free radicals are the indiscriminate and highly reactive chemicals that have the ability to damage the structure of all living cells. The majority of free radicals come from the day to day burning of fuel that happens in all cells every minute of the day and night. Large amount of exposure to sun and pollutants can cause additional free radical damage to the skin.Antioxidants that are applied topically can provide some protection from environmental damage to the skin. They can also help to slow the aging process of the skin. It is important to note that topical antioxidants are not particularly reliable. Their effectiveness is dependent on a number of different factors including skin permeability, the other ingredients in the salve and many other internal and external factors. It seems that taking an increased amount of antioxidants orally will provide additional protection for the skin from free radical damage. It is important to keep in mind that there is not a lot of hard scientific evidence to prove that oral and topical antioxidants can provide lasting benefits to the skin.

Solubility in fat or water is an integral property for oxidants. To explain it in simple terms, living cells have two different kinds of characteristics – watery ones that are the found both inside and outside the cells and oily membranes that are effectively partitions between the cells and cellular components. It therefore follows that water soluble anti-oxidants are used for the areas inside and outside the cell where there is a lot of water and fat soluble antioxidants are used to provide protection for the oily membranes. Both kinds of antioxidants are necessary in order to have a protective shield against free radicals throughout the body and in the skin in particular.

Solubility of Antioxidants

Vitamin C is rich with powerful antioxidants and agents to boost our immune systems, vitamin C also aids in the regeneration of our bodies’ internal antioxidant—oxidized glutathione. While the human body is unable to produce its own vitamin C, as some animals can, we can get our vitamin C from food sources and nutritional supplements.
Anthocyanins gives fruits and vegetables their color. Acai berry is rich in anthocyanins.
Glutathione is a natural antioxidant in the human body.
Catechins are abundant in cacao beans and green tea. Lessens the effects of stroke, assists Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s sufferers and boosts immune system functions.
Punicalagins is a strong cancer suppresser, and is found in pomegranate and tropical flowering trees.
Xanthones is a major antioxidant component in mangosteen, can be used to determine urea levels in the blood.

Vitamin E is an extremely effective antioxidant that finds and removes toxins, such as lead and mercury, and free radicals from fatty portions of the body. It can also protect us against lung, colon, breast, and mouth cancer. The recommended daily amount of Vitamin E is 400-800 IU for normal individuals, less for those with high blood pressure, and it can be found in products such as soybeans, corn, cottonseed oil, and wheat germ

Vitamin A is a less powerful, though still important, source of antioxidants, responsible for aiding our body to produce epithelial tissues necessary for our respiratory systems. Epithelial tissues also help to make cells cancer-resistant. Vitamin A is found in cod liver oil, beef liver, chicken liver, and sharks, though it is toxic in quantities of 10,000 IU or more.

Other sources of vitamin A are the carotenoids: (Foods include fruit, vegetables and eggs)

• Lycopene is abundant in tomatoes and watermelon.
• Lutein and Zeaxanthin
• Beta Carotene
• Carotenes
• Coenzyme Q10

Melatonin
Lipoic Acid is found in almost all foods but more in kidney, heart, liver, spinach, broccoli, and yeast extract.
Some Polyphenolic Antioxidants can be found in foods including tea, coffee, soy, fruit, olive oil, chocolate, cinnamon, oregano and red wine. Also Resveratrol and some Flavanoids.

In the coming sections we will look at the role of certain antioxidant supplements and nutrients which seem to be the most beneficial to the skin.