First for some of you that are new may be saying what in the world is ORAC? Let me explain what ORAC is. ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity and is represented by an ORAC score or number. This number represents the ability of a substance to control oxygen free radicals in the body. The test is performed by adding the substance to a test tube that contains free radicals and observing its capacity to slow or stop their progress.
As oxidation has been revealed as the primary cause of aging, foods with high ORAC scores have been more popular than ever. Antioxidant rich foods have been proven to slow down the aging of molecules in the body and brain that would otherwise become damaged or diseased. Many people have reported curing themselves of ailments purely through eating diets consisting only of antioxidant rich foods.
You may have read or heard that oxidation has been revealed as the primary cause of aging, foods with high ORAC scores are now more popular than ever! Antioxidant rich foods have been proven to slow down the aging of molecules in the body and brain that would otherwise become damaged or diseased. Many people have reported curing themselves of ailments purely through eating diets consisting only of antioxidant rich foods. While you may think this may be to the extreme..it does show the power of it.
Other studies have linked high ORAC value foods to preventing long-term memory loss, slowing deteriorated learning, enhancing brain activity and combating oxygen damage in other body parts like the capillaries. Foods high in antioxidant levels boost the immune system so the body’s natural ability to fight all diseases is enhanced. So.. it might also help you fight off that pesky flu thats going around!
The USDA recommends we consume 3,000 to 5,000 ORAC units daily. In truth, 80% of the population is probably consuming less than 1,000 ORAC units a day. The USDA recommended "5-a-day" fruit and vegetable servings will give you an ORAC score of about 1,750 units.
The ORAC value of eXfuze is 50,000 per liter bottle.
Showing posts with label antioxidant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label antioxidant. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Free Radicals
What are Free Radicals and Antioxidants?
You and everyone else in this world are all made up of atoms. Normal atoms have a outer shell and live a happy life. Atoms that do NOT have a full outer shell of electrons are unhappy and unstable. These unstable depressed atoms very badly want to get another electron so they can be stable and inert. These unstable atoms are what we call - Free Radicals.
Free radicals tend to move quickly to try to steal an electron from whatever molecule happens to be around them. Of course, whoever they steal an electron from becomes a new free radical and the process is like a continues on like a chain letter.
These atoms called free radicals are not that bad in moderation. Our body performs many functions and there will always be some free radicals created. However, if the level of free radicals gets too high in your body, you can run into major problems. Numerous diseases and health issues have been linked to high levels of free radicals.
One of the more common types of free radicals are oxygen free radicals. These are oxygen atoms missing an electron. Remember the rust you see on the side of old cars - well the same thing basically happens inside our body. Oxidative stress is what it is called when oxygen free radicals start to cause damage in your body.
You and everyone else in this world are all made up of atoms. Normal atoms have a outer shell and live a happy life. Atoms that do NOT have a full outer shell of electrons are unhappy and unstable. These unstable depressed atoms very badly want to get another electron so they can be stable and inert. These unstable atoms are what we call - Free Radicals.
Free radicals tend to move quickly to try to steal an electron from whatever molecule happens to be around them. Of course, whoever they steal an electron from becomes a new free radical and the process is like a continues on like a chain letter.
These atoms called free radicals are not that bad in moderation. Our body performs many functions and there will always be some free radicals created. However, if the level of free radicals gets too high in your body, you can run into major problems. Numerous diseases and health issues have been linked to high levels of free radicals.
One of the more common types of free radicals are oxygen free radicals. These are oxygen atoms missing an electron. Remember the rust you see on the side of old cars - well the same thing basically happens inside our body. Oxidative stress is what it is called when oxygen free radicals start to cause damage in your body.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Can Antioxidant Foods Forestall Aging? Article
I would like to share a article I found on the USDA website
Can Antioxidant Foods Forestall Aging?
Foods that score high in an antioxidant assay called ORAC may protect cells and their components from damage by oxygen radicals, according to studies of animals and human blood. ORAC measures the total antioxidant power of foods and other chemical substances. Early findings suggest that eating plenty of high-ORAC fruits and vegetables—such as spinach and blueberries—may help slow the processes associated with aging in both body and brain.
Two human studies show that eating high-ORAC fruits and vegetables or simply doubling intake of fruits and vegetables—both naturally high in antioxidants—raises the antioxidant power of the blood between 13 and 25 percent. The studies are published in the Journal of Nutrition (vol. 128, pp. 2383-2390) and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (vol. 68, pp. 1081-1087).
Early evidence for the protective power of high-ORAC foods comes from rat studies. Rats fed daily doses of blueberry extract for six weeks before being subjected to pure oxygen suffered much less damage to the capillaries in and around their lungs. In other tests, middle-aged rats were fed diets fortified with spinach or strawberry extract or vitamin E for nine months. A daily dose of spinach extract prevented some loss of long-term memory and learning ability normally experienced by 15-month-old rats. Spinach also proved most potent in protecting different types of nerve cells in two separate parts of the brain against the effects of aging, the researchers reported in the Journal of Neuroscience (vol. 18, pp. 8047-8055).
For more information, contact Ronald Prior or James Joseph, (617) 556-3310, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts, Boston, MA
Or log on to My Website
Can Antioxidant Foods Forestall Aging?
Foods that score high in an antioxidant assay called ORAC may protect cells and their components from damage by oxygen radicals, according to studies of animals and human blood. ORAC measures the total antioxidant power of foods and other chemical substances. Early findings suggest that eating plenty of high-ORAC fruits and vegetables—such as spinach and blueberries—may help slow the processes associated with aging in both body and brain.
Two human studies show that eating high-ORAC fruits and vegetables or simply doubling intake of fruits and vegetables—both naturally high in antioxidants—raises the antioxidant power of the blood between 13 and 25 percent. The studies are published in the Journal of Nutrition (vol. 128, pp. 2383-2390) and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (vol. 68, pp. 1081-1087).
Early evidence for the protective power of high-ORAC foods comes from rat studies. Rats fed daily doses of blueberry extract for six weeks before being subjected to pure oxygen suffered much less damage to the capillaries in and around their lungs. In other tests, middle-aged rats were fed diets fortified with spinach or strawberry extract or vitamin E for nine months. A daily dose of spinach extract prevented some loss of long-term memory and learning ability normally experienced by 15-month-old rats. Spinach also proved most potent in protecting different types of nerve cells in two separate parts of the brain against the effects of aging, the researchers reported in the Journal of Neuroscience (vol. 18, pp. 8047-8055).
For more information, contact Ronald Prior or James Joseph, (617) 556-3310, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts, Boston, MA
Or log on to My Website
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