It’s no secret that the world is becoming more and more polluted. As a result, our skin is getting hit with a lot of unnecessary chemicals. These pollutants can get absorbed into our bloodstream and have a negative impact on our health. Antioxidants are molecules that help protect against these harmful effects. The following article will give you an overview of how antioxidants work in the human body, their benefits, and how to incorporate them into your daily routine to protect your skin from disease and premature aging.
What Are Antioxidants?
Antioxidants are compounds that prevent cellular damage caused by oxidative stress, inflammation, and age related damages. They also have anti-inflammatory properties and may help prevent the development of cancer. Oxidative stress is a condition that can develop when our bodies are exposed to too much oxidative (i.e., high levels of oxidants) environment. Oxidative stress is harmful and can lead to cellular damage and aging. Preventing, managing, and combating oxidative stress are the key to good health.
How Does an Antioxidant Work?
The actions of antioxidants are twofold: They help protect our cells from damage caused by harmful free radicals, and they scavenge ions (i.e., antioxidants) from harmful molecules in our bodies that can damage our cells. Both of these actions help slow the aging process, improve cognitive function, and prevent heart disease.
Benefits of Antioxidants in The Body
Boosts immunity – A healthy immune system is a key to good health. An unhealthy immune system can lead to allergies, autoimmune disorders, obesity, and even an increased risk of developing cancer. Increasing your body’s ability to defend itself against harmful invaders is the first step to good health. Prevents wrinkles – As we get older, our skin naturally produces less collagen, which we need to keep our skin flexible and youthful. In addition, our skin’s retain water ability reduced. As a result, our skin gets drier and wrinkles develop.
Protecting your skin from harmful UV rays is also important, but antioxidants help even out this effect. Helps with skin pigmentation – We all have different skin types; some people’s skin color gets darker as they age, while others find they tan easily. While some people find they develop skin spots as they age, certain antioxidants can help in this regard.
- Helps protect the liver – One of the most important roles of antioxidants is to protect the liver. When our liver is under attack, it produces high quantities of harmful antioxidants called “ liver juice ” that can damage our skin. Protecting your liver from damage is the best way to protect your skin.
- Maintains healthy blood pressure – High blood pressure is a condition where the pressure in the blood vessels is too high. This can damage our skin, so it’s important to normalize blood pressure so it’s “in check” with other vital organ systems.
- Maintains healthy gut bacteria – As we age, our digestive system starts to “leak” substances into the bloodstream that can cause harmful effects on the body, such as increased levels of “stress” hormones and increased levels of “bad” bacteria in the intestines. Protecting your gut from damage is the key to good health.
- Helps prevent tumors – Tumors are bizarre, cancerous growths that form in cells or tissues. When there’s a chance that you may develop a tumor, you need to be monitored by their doctor to make sure it doesn’t develop into something worse. Antioxidants not only protect us from the harmful effects of age-related diseases like wrinkles and skin damage, but they can also help prevent them.
Conclusion
Antioxidants are a type of nutrient that helps protect our bodies from the harmful effects of aging. They can be found in plant and animal extracts and are believed to come in two forms: vitamins and antioxidants. Many foods, drinks, and dietary supplements contain antioxidants. It’s important to check the list of ingredients so you know exactly what you’re consuming.
If your body is low in antioxidants, you may experience skin dryness, a red face, and a flaky scalp. To increase your body’s ability to produce antioxidants, you need to eat a healthy diet that includes fruits and vegetables, fish, whole grains, seeds, nuts, and walnuts. The goal is to consume a wide variety of foods from all food groups, including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and nuts.
Research shows that effective skin cancer prevention is a two-step process:
Wash your face twice a day, use a moisture barrier treatment (antioxidant-packed masks, serums, and creams), and protect your skin from UV rays by wearing sunscreen when you’re outside. In order to maintain healthy skin, you need to make sure you’re not over-washing your face. Overwashing can lead to skin damage, excess sebum production, and increased contact dermatitis.
As a final thought, it’s important to remember that you can only do so much to protect your skin from damage. As we get older, our skin naturally loses its ability to protect itself. In order to maintain healthy skin, you need to make sure you’re adding to your daily vitamin and antioxidant intake. Learning how antioxidants work can help you understand your skin better and provide you with better skin care decisions.