Antioxidants

Antioxidants

Coffee is a natural source of antioxidants

Antioxidants are found in fruits, vegetables, nuts and wholegrains, and have been proven to help the body balance the effects of excessive free radicals.[1] Confused about what antioxidants are? Take a look at this quick and simple explanation of Antioxidants.

  • Antioxidants are produced in the body naturally and can also be consumed through foods in the diet. Antioxidants help protect your cells from chemically reactive molecules called free radicals. Free radicals form during natural bodily processes such as respiration and are scavengers that upset body chemistry.[1]
  • Think about what happens when you cut an apple and leave it on the counter - it turns brown. If you dip the apple slice in lemon juice, which contains the antioxidant vitamin C, the apple slice will stay nice and fresh. Antioxidants do the same thing inside your body.
  • We must continually replace our antioxidant levels and this is done by including antioxidant rich foods in our diet. Foods rich in antioxidants include: fruits such as berries, vegetables, nuts, legumes, wholegrains, coffee and tea.

Citations

[1] Gey KF. The antioxidant hypothesis of cardiovascular disease: epidemiology and mechanisms. Biochem Soc Trans 1990;18:1041-1045.
[2] Mattila P, Hellstrom J & Torronen R. Phenic acids in berries, fruits and beverages. J Agric Food Chem. 2006;54(19):7193-7199.
[3] Richelle M, Tavazzi I & Offord E. Comparison of the Antioxidant Activity of Commonly Consumer Polyphenolic Beverages (Coffee, Cocoa and Tea) Prepared per Cup Serving. J.Agric. Food Chem 2001;49(7):3438-3442.
[4] Pellegrini N, Serafini M et al. Total antioxidant capacity of plant foods, beverages and oils consumed in Italy Assessed by three different in vitro assays. J Nutr 2003;133:2812-2819.

Did you know...

Coffee is a natural source of antioxidants[2] and contains more antioxidants than green and black tea?[3] In particular, coffee contains two types of antioxidants: the polyphenol chlorogenic acid, which is found naturally in coffee beans and melanoidins formed during the roasting process.[4] So, when enjoying a cup of coffee, you are also contributing to your total daily antioxidant intake.

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