Antioxidants

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• QHow can epigallocatechin gallate help me lose fat and gain muscle?

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  A Tim Ferriss , Fitness, answered

  I tested green tea and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a catechin and flavanol found in green teas, for the underreported "off-label" benefits. Specifically, two related to body recomposition:

  • EGCG increases glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT-4) recruitment to the surface of skeletal muscle cells. Of equal interest, it inhibits GLUT-4 recruitment in fat cells. In other words, it inhibits the storage of excess carbohydrates as body fat and preferentially diverts them to muscle cells.
  • EGCG appears to increase programmed cell death (apoptosis) in mature fat cells. This means that these hard-to-kill fat cells commit suicide. The ease with which people regain fat is due to a certain "fat memory" (the size of fat cells decreases, but not the number), which makes EGCG a fascinating candidate for preventing the horrible rebounding most dieters experience.
• QWhat are the health benefits of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)?

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  A Tim Ferriss , Fitness, answered

  Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is a catechin and flavanol found in green teas. It has been researched for a wide range of applications, including decreasing the risk of ultra-violet (UV)-induced skin damage, inhibiting cancer growth, and reducing mitochondrial oxidative stress (anti-aging).
• QHow much epigallocatechin gallate must I take to lose fat and gain muscle?

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  A Tim Ferriss , Fitness, answered

  Human studies have shown some potential fat-loss with as little as a single dose of 150 milligrams of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a catechin and flavanol found in green teas, but we will target 325 milligrams three to four times per day, as the fat-loss results seem to "hockey-stick" -- go from a mild incline to a sharp rise -- between 900 and 1,100 milligrams per day for the 150- to 200- pound subjects I've worked with. I suggest decaffeinated green tea extract pills as the source, unless you want to be stuck to the ceiling and feel ill. Using tea leaves and steeping cup after cup is too imprecise and too caffeinated.
• QWhat are the health benefits of antioxidants?

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  A Dr. Will Clower, PhD , Nutrition & Dietetics, answered

  Antioxidants essentially act like the garbage men of the body, removing the waste products left behind after your body processes the nutrients in the foods you eat.
  
  Research clearly shows that the cellular waste materials known as reactive oxygen species (ROS) must be removed from your system or it can contribute to illness, sometimes in the form of cancer. One pathway for this to occur is by causing damage to your DNA, which can foster and sustain deadly cancers.
• QHow can antioxidants keep me young?

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  A Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answered

  To understand antioxidants, let's first think about the oxygen. You know that oxygen is necessary for our bodies to function at all. Breathing is fundamental to living. When you breathe, oxygen enters your bloodstream and is transported to our cells. Once it enters your cells, oxygen forms the basis of many of our cells' most fundamental processes. This same oxygen, however, in the form of unstable molecules or ions called oxygen radicals (or free radicals), can oxidize your tissues -- that is, cause those tissues to rust. As a result, oxygen waste products, called lipofuscins, build up in organs such as the heart and brain, leaving brown discoloration on the tissues. Oxidation may not be the basic problem. There may be a more fundamental problem such as inflammation, or something else that causes immune dysfunction. Whatever the cause, these brown spots are signs of aging. The older you get, the more prevalent they become.
  
  Imagine apples. If you slice an apple and leave it out in the air, it will soon turn brown. Exposed to air, the surface of the apple oxidizes (combines with oxygen). This process is similar to what happens when oxygen radicals build up in your body. If you were to take that same apple and sprinkle lemon juice on the slices, they would stay white. The apple does not turn brown because lemon juice is full of vitamin C, which works as an antioxidant. Lemon juice stops the oxidation process and keeps the apple from "rusting." In your body, antioxidants such as vitamins C and E do the same thing.
  
  Think of your body as an exclusive club. Free radicals are the visitors who crash the scene without an invitation. They are so pesky, the body can't get rid of them without some help. Antioxidants function as a kind of security system, the bouncers. They seek out the roving oxygen radicals and bind to them -- a kind of chemical handcuff. Bound together, the free radical and the antioxidant form an entity that the body can then flush out through the kidneys. As long as you have enough bouncers, free radicals and lipofuscins (oxygen waste products) won't build up in the body. And your body literally has an army of antioxidants built in to protect you. Vitamins C and E seem to augment this army's work.
• QWhat are free radicals, and how do antioxidants fight them?

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  A Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answered

  To leave out the complicated chemistry, free radicals are an atom or a group of atoms that can damage cells, proteins and DNA by altering their chemical structure.
  
  The damage from free radicals can be prevented by binding the free radical with an antioxidant. This prevents oxidation. Perhaps the key function that antioxidants perform is to handcuff the free radicals, packaging them so that they can be washed out of the body through the kidneys, and preventing them from damaging our cells and chromosomes.
• QWhat are flavonoids and how much should I eat per day?

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  A gay riley , Nutrition & Dietetics, answered

  Flavonoids are colored pigments in a variety of foods and there are more than 4000 that have been identified. They are mostly known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory protection to cells which can protect the heart, circulation, blood, and brain as well as having cancer or anti tumor benefits. There are no current recommendations for daily flavonoid intake at this time but some signs that you might not be getting enough flavonoids in your diet are:

  • Frequent colds and infections
  • Bruising easily
  • Frequent nosebleeds
  • Excessive swelling after injury 

  It is estimated that the average daily flavonoid intake in the US is about 150-200 mg which is certainly not adequate given the standard American diet. You can increase your daily intake of flavonoids very easily by eating a cup of blueberries or blackberries which contains over 400 mg of flavonoids, 1 cup of green tea can contain as much as 1000 mg, a small red apple with skin has around 200 mg, red onions, celery, and kale are also high in flavoniods. Check out the USDA's flavonoid content of foods database for flavoinoid content in foods.
  
  Foods rich in flavonoids are fruits, vegetables, tea, and legumes. 
  
  Common subclasses of flavonoids are anthocyanidins from grapes, flavonols from teas, chocolate, apples and wine, flavanones from citrus fruit and juices, flavonols from yellow onions, kale, scallions, broccoli, apples, berries and tea, flavones from parsely, thyme, celery and hot peppers, and isoflavones found in soybeans, soyfoods, and legumes. 
  
  Try to include 8 fruit and vegetables daily. 2 vegetables for every fruit, some green tea, and maybe a bit of 99% cocoa and you will be good to go!
• QWhat are isoflavones?

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  A Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answered

  Isoflavones -- a compound found in plants -- have been shown to protect against breast cancer. Foods that contain the effective isoflavones include soy products like tofu and soybeans, as well as garlic and onions. Following a diet akin to the Mediterranean diet -- which is rich in olive oil, fish oils, calcium, and fruit -- can help increase your daily intake of isoflavones (and it also packs a wealth of other health benefits).
• QWhat is the largest source of antioxidants in the American diet?

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  A Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answered

  Coffee is America's largest source of antioxidants (aside from caffeine, which has its own antioxidant properties). It is chock full (pun intended) of polyphenols and is a great low-calorie fluid when you have cravings. Drink decaffeinated versions to avoid the side effects. The second biggest source of antioxidants? Bananas, which have 7 times less than coffee.
• QWhat is uric acid?

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  A Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answered

  Uric acid is the most abundant liquid antioxidant you have and accounts for as much as two-thirds of all free radical scavenging capacity in the blood. Although uric acid may be able to help prevent damage from a stroke, it can do a real number on your joints. Uric acid can form crystals that wind up in the fluid in your joints. These crystals mar the smooth cartilage surface like a diamond would a piece of glass. The result: The joint condition called gout (which can also come from your parents, medications, renal disease, and eating a rich diet full of meat and red wine) -- the price we pay to keep the free radicals away.