Most people probably have heard that antioxidants are important for overall health and critical to slow down aging and prevent age-related disorders, such as cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, etc. This is due to the fact that our physiological and metabolic activity use oxygen and nutrition to generate energy and maintain brain function, immune function, cardiovascular system and routine physical activities ranging from simple breathing to vigorous exercise.
During this constant energy metabolism and conversion process, our body continuously generate highly damaging “reactive oxygen species” (ROS) that are toxic to DNA, proteins and cell membranes in our cells and organs. These damages can cause mutations in our DNA, which increase the risk of cancer, while damages to proteins and membranes accelerate cellular and systemic aging.
Much of these damages first manifest as chronic inflammation, suppressed immune function, gradually leading to increased stress at both cellular and organismal level that later develop into diabetes, cancer, kidney and liver disorders as well as various autoimmune diseases. In other words, ROS derived from our own built-in energy metabolism is one of the main culprits of many devastating diseases and accelerated aging.
As one might have guessed, our body also make several powerful endogenous antioxidants, such as melatonin and glutathione, scavenging and eliminating toxic ROS in our cells. However, these natural antioxidant level rapidly declines as we age and hence explains why we become more susceptible for various age-related disorders and cancer in our senior years.
This is why getting the right combination of colorful foods is so important for our cellular health and healthy aging. The importance of ingesting phytonutrients, antioxidants and minerals from our food sources only increase exponentially, as we age toward senior years. Why? You may ask.
Each color in fruits and vegetables represent specific phytonutrients, which are natural antioxidants that help protect our cells from metabolically generated ROS and various bacteria, viruses, damaging UV ray from the sun. Phytonutrients are not absolutely essential to keep you alive, however they help keep your body working as it is supposed to and prevent accelerated aging from stressful lifestyle and unhealthy diets.
Interestingly, not all antioxidants are created equal. For instance, certain phytonutrients better protect lung than liver. Quercetin, a potent flavonoid found in vegetables like onion and apple, is known to protect against viral infection in airway and lung highly effectively. On the contrary, for liver, glutathione is a much more powerful antioxidant that protect liver function and help eliminate toxic substances from our body.
Similarly, anthocyanin typically enriched in blueberries and grapes function as a powerful antioxidant for our cardiovascular system, while carotenoids like beta-carotene found in carrot, pumpkin and sweet potatoes, are highly effective in protecting eye health. Further, lycopene from red tomato is a powerful antioxidant that protects our reproductive organs and cardiovascular system.
Green vegetables are especially enriched in many phytonutrients and antioxidants, such as folates, lsulforaphane and glucosinolate (such as Indole-3-Carbinol), which help keep our immune system in optimal condition and protect against cognitive declines, nervous system disorders and cancer during the aging process. To summarize, colorful diets are absolutely important for our overall well-being and healthy aging, as these colors represent necessary phytonutrients and antioxidants that are specialized in protecting different parts of our body and their unique functions.
