Antioxidants Research Paper

Antioxidants and performance

Introduction

Free radicals are reactive chemical species that can cause oxidation injury to the living beings by attacking the macromolecules like lipids, carbohydrates, proteins and nucleic acids. However, antioxidants protect the cells from damage caused by these unstable molecules what are antioxidants? Antioxidant is a molecule that inhibits the oxidation of other molecules.

Oxidation is a chemical reaction involving the loss of electrons or an increase in oxidation state.

Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals.

In turn, these radicals can start chain reactions.

When the chain reaction occurs in a cell it can cause damage or death to the cell.

Antioxidants terminate these chain reactions

They are also available as dietary supplements. Examples of antioxidants include:

Beta-carotene: is a water soluble precursor to vitamin A, but is an antioxidant in itself. Foods containing high levels of carotene are fruit, vegetables, eggs and specially carrots.

Flavonoids: act as antioxidants by directly scavenging free radicals, chelating reactive elements such as iron, or by inhibiting oxidative enzymes .No daily requirement for flavanoids has been established, but a balanced diet containing fresh fruit, vegetables, tea, berries is recommended.

Superoxide dismutas: is an enzyme that, in concert with another enzyme catalase, can destroy free radicals, particularly O2.

Glutathione: minimizes the damage caused by free radicals, and is very important for the health of cells.

Richest sources of glutathione are avocado and

Knee extension strength was assessed with a hand-held dynamometer they give them vitamin C, vitamin E, beta carotene, and retinol. Plasma Alpha and

Gamma tocopherol in a specific amount to improve their performance.

Estrogen hormone is a new form of antioxidants

At the cellular level, theoretical evidence supports the idea that estrogen itself may serve as an antioxidant, although much of the work examines estrogen’s ability to protect membrane integrity rather than oxidative stress directly.

The structural similarities between vitamin E and estrogen first prompted the idea that estrogen may interrupt lipid peroxidation, arresting the degradation of the membrane.

Vitamin E is thought to both stabilize membrane integrity in its insertion in the membrane and quench oxidative activity by accepting electrons from of free radicals species with its trimethylhydroquinone