It has long been accepted and practiced that eating food with lots of anti oxidants slows down aging. This has been practiced even before the term anti-oxidants were used. Ancient Chinese (and even the Chinese of today) prescribes special food that will enhance an attribute, cure an ailment and improve metabolism or increase vitality and vigor. In India, certain herbs are mixed with their foods that are similar to the results that Chinese sought. The same goes with Brazilians and Peruvians.
While almost all plants have sterols that are good for the metabolism in the body, foods that are generally known to contain high concentration of antioxidants are usually those that are present in plants and other fruits containing amino acids, omega 3,6, and 9, and other useful fatty acids. The category also includes those that contain high concentrations of resveratrol and glutathione. The presence of antioxidants in diets will help protect the cells of the body from free radicals and toxins.
This is so because anti oxidants work in a way that its molecules slow down and in some conditions, prevent the oxidation of other molecules. Anti-aging treatment preparations that contain anti oxidants often come in the form of capsules, tablets and energy drinks and other forms of dietary supplements.
Oxidation, while crucial at maintaining life, could be damaging. Animals and even plants maintain a high level and complex anti-oxidant systems in multiple types. Many of these types come from plants in the form of sterols and enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase and other peroxides. The most common and readily available antioxidant though is the Vitamin C and the Vitamin E.
One of the tangible reasons that a person lacks antioxidants in the body is tiredness and stress. A body that lacks anti oxidants results to oxidative stress which damages and kills cells. Aside from anti oxidants being effective as anti-aging agents is its capacity to prevent a host of illnesses from occurring. Some types of anti-oxidants have demonstrated capacity to prevent the development of certain cancer cells, diabetes, heart ailments and other maladies. This is one of the reasons that foods that are high in anti-oxidant properties are highly sought after. Others are even in such a demand to command high prices.
Examples of foods that have vast concentration of antioxidant properties are coffee, grapes and berries. In fact the grapes in red wine have been known to have impressive anti-oxidizing properties that are usually attributed to the cause of the French being more fit in spite of the cholesterol rich food that they consume although the skin of the grape is the part that is truly rich in anti oxidants. Coffee has vast concentration too although what is mixed with the coffee is what causes the worry. The acai berry of Brazil is also widely advertised to have vast concentration of anti oxidant properties, pity that it is not consumed fresh in the rest of the world except Brazil.
In addition to its ability to repair and preserve cells making it an excellent anti aging agent, anti oxidants are also widely used as preservatives in food and cosmetics. Anti oxidants are also widely used in industrial applications where prevention of degradation is important.