What is Antioxidants?

Antioxidants are now bustling about, each product be it food or cosmetic treatments are competing include antioxidants in their products. Actually what is Antioxidants? And what are the functions?

Antioxidants are substances needed by the body.
In the human body there are free radicals, as a byproduct of the process of formation of energy. At a certain amount of free radicals is needed in order to help the white blood cells or leukocytes to destroy or take the germs into the body.

But sometimes, free radicals in the body too much and damage the body. Evil action of excess free radicals can lead to premature aging, because the damaging compounds that can remove fat firmness resulting in wrinkles. The way antioxidants work in general is inhibited oxidation of fat.

In addition to preventing premature aging, antioxidants also allegedly able to prevent the growth of breast cancer cells in women. Antioxidants such as flavonoids, glycosides, and polyphenols are also able to prevent Alzheimer's disease (senile diseases in the elderly) and cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel disease).

There are two ways to get antioxidants, i.e. from outside the body (exogenous) way through the food and beverages that contain vitamin C, E, or beta-carotene, and antioxidants can also be from the body (endogenous), i.e. with the enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD ), glutathione peroxides (GSH Px), peroxidase, and catalase produced by the body as an antioxidant.

However, excess antioxidants are also not good for health. Based on research, consuming excessive antioxidants (from diet and supplements) may increase the risk of liver damage.