Antioxidants is a pretty broad category. They appear in the form of vitamins (C and E), minerals (selenium, manganese and zinc), enzymes (superoxide dismutase [SOD], catalase [CAT] and glutathione peroxidase [GPx]), carotenoids (lutein, zeaxanthin and astaxanthin) and other nutrients such as coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), polyphenols, uric acid and phytochemicals. Being found in all types of natural products, it makes sense antioxidants deliver abundant health benefits as well. The heart, skin, eyes, joints, brain and immune system are all said to benefit from antioxidants. They have been associated with anti-aging, increased lifespan, a reduction in cancer incidences, and improvement in athletic performance.
Antioxidants counter the damaging effects of oxidation. Like most things, the body requires a balance of antioxidants and free radicals. If the body produces chemically active atoms or molecular fragments that have too many or too few electrons—free radicals—beyond its antioxidant capacity, oxidative stress occurs. Free radicals are highly unstable because of their unpaired electrons, and they scavenge the body looking to steal electrons from cells, proteins and DNA. This damages the cells in the body and can lead to disease. Because all cells can be damaged, antioxidants have many applications in the body.
While it’s impossible to avoid free radical damage, which comes from respiration, metabolism, inflammation and environmental factors including pollution, sunlight, exercise, X-rays, smoking and alcohol, people have the ability to ingest antioxidants to help reduce the amount of oxidative stress within the body. The media, and consumers, have caught on to antioxidants’ health benefits, which is furthering the demand for these ingredients.
“Consumer interest continues to rise sharply because people are now becoming more aware that ‘antioxidants are good for me,’” said Dean Mosca, president, Proprietary Nutritionals Inc (PNI). “Thanks to tremendous boosts in mass-media coverage that focuses on fruits, berries and vegetables being stacked with these naturally occurring health promoters, a large number of consumers have made the connection. Every week there is more research and news coming out about the benefits of antioxidants for some of our major health threats such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.”
Sharrann Simmons, marketing director North America, Cognis Nutrition & Health, said it is not only increasing science and media coverage driving growth, but the expansion of the population that can be most helped by antioxidants. “Consumer interest is driven by a couple of factors,” she said. “One is this whole phenomenon of the healthy aging Baby Boomer as antioxidants are useful for a lot of different problems associated with aging. Another driver is related: appearance.” She said consumers don’t understand what an antioxidant does, but they know they’re good for them and they’re going to help them with the aging process.
