Antioxidant is one of the compounds that are found in foods. Antioxidant protect our body from free radicals. These are unstable molecules that can harm our cells. This types of molecules can also harm our DNA. Free radicals can contribute to development of various types of health problem such as cancer, heart disease etc.
An antioxidant can be defined as: “any substance that, when present in low concentra tions compared to that of an oxidisable substrate, significantly delays or inhibits the Oxidation of that substrate”The physiological role of antioxidants, as this definition suggests, is to prevent damage to cellular components arising as a consequence of chemical reactions involving free radicals. In recent years, a substantial body of evidence has developed supporting a key role for free radicals in many fundamental cellular reactions and suggesting that oxidative stress might be important in the pathophysiology of common diseases including atherosclerosis, chronic renal failure, and diabetes mellitus.
Some common antioxidants include vitamins A, C, and E, beta-carotene, selenium, and flavonoids.
