Are Antioxidants the Key to Living Longer?

Antioxidants are an important part of general health and play a factor in anti-aging. New research brings to light the foods that contain these essential compounds.

(PRWEB) September 2, 2004 -- Are Antioxidants the Key to Living Longer?

The USDA and Harvard School of Public Health recommend that Americans eat a minimum of five servings of fruit and vegetables daily in order to stay sufficiently healthy to prevent aging disease. Fruits and vegetables are a main source of antioxidants which are the natural compounds used by the body to help with the aging process as well as weight control and strengthening the immune system. However, according to an AC Nelson poll of 2,472 people, more than 85% of consumers are not eating the federally recommended minimum of produce servings a day. With consumers falling short of the recommended five to nine servings of produce a day it is suggested that they will have more difficulty in defending their bodies from an increasingly toxic world full of chemicals, polluted air, radiation, smoke, steroids and pesticides. These new studies now entice many to search for strong sources of antioxidants.

To increase health awareness, Tufts University has produced a chart to rate supplemental options for consumers. Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity or ORAC has become an advanced scientific method that measures the level of antioxidant protection in food. According to the Universitys research the higher the ORAC value, the more beneficial it is for the body. This new standard is already changing the way consumers think about what they eat.

As to date, the highest scoring food on this new ORAC chart is the 7 Essentials, a product manufactured as the complete Super Food" by a nutritional company in Texas. A single scoop of 7 Essentials was recorded to contain the antioxidant equivalent of 42 servings of fruits and vegetables and tested a phenomenal score of 21,010 ORAC units per serving (22grams). Most average serving of fruits and vegetables contain approximately 500 ORAC units that equate to 2500 ORAC units daily when consuming the recommended amount. By understanding what ORAC is and how antioxidants help the body, future Americans may be scanning food labels for ORAC Scores as well as calories and carbs.

More information on the ORAC results and the highest scoring antioxidant foods can be found at http://www.e-optimalhealth.com/7essentials/orac.html