The Best Antioxidants for Your Skin Health
From the Ordinary to the Unusual, Here Are the Best Antioxidants for Your Skin
Over the years you have likely heard about the benefits of consuming foods and using products high in antioxidants. The most familiar antioxidants found in foods are vitamin E, C and beta-carotene. Foods rich in antioxidants both boost your immune system and are fierce anti-aging combatants. But are there foods and products higher in antioxidants than others? Yes, there are!
As a natural part of your metabolism, your body produces free radicals. Other free radicals are found in the environment from pollution, tobacco smoke and solar radiation. Our body’s defenders against free radicals are antioxidants. Research suggests that those with diets rich in antioxidants have a lower risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, among other age-related health risks.
But how can you know which foods are higher than antioxidants than others? To measure how rich in antioxidants a food is, you can look up the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) score. This is the established metric for the capacity of a food to locate and destroy free radicals. It is widely believed that the higher the ORAC score of a food, the more adept it is at slowing the oxidative processes and free radical damage that can contribute to age-related degeneration and disease.
While you may be familiar with the fruits and vegetables that are high in antioxidants, there are other alternative antioxidant boosters you may want to check out to help your body protect itself from free-radical damage:
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Alpha-Lipoic Acid.
Alpha-lipoic acid, an antioxidant, is believed to help protect the skin from sun damage when applied as a topical cream on a regular basis. Looking to further boost your levels of antioxidants? Try our skincare regimen which contains human adult mesenchymal stem cell extracts, one the strongest antioxidants around! -
Kona Coffee Cherry.
This natural anti-aging powerhouse has 5 times more antioxidants than the Acai berry, which means superior free radical protection for your fortified skin. That’s why we include it in all of our stem cell skincare products! -
Chocolate.
Yes, your favorite guilty pleasure just may help boost your skin health. Flavonoids in green tea and chocolate are considered heavy-hitting antioxidants that can help your skin appear softer and smoother. That’s according to a German study published in the Journal of Nutrition, which looked at the skincare benefits experienced by woman who drank hot coca rich in flavonoids. -
Small Red Beans.
Half a cup of this food contains an estimated 13,727 antioxidants. Now that’s a super food! When compared with other foods, beans contain the highest amount of antioxidants to stop free radicals from damaging your body and halt the skin’s aging process. -
Wild Blueberries.
Just one cup of wild blueberries is reported to contain 13,427 antioxidants. It is believed that the antioxidants found in blueberries, called anthocyanins, can fight free radicals and stop cell damage. -
Ozone Therapy.
More popular in Europe, ozone therapy is a process where ozone gas, made of oxygen, is used to treat medical conditions. Some believe that small doses of ozone gas can increase natural antioxidants in the body. However, medical experts warn that the ozone therapy hasn’t been studied enough to fully understand the possible side effects and safety hazards.
It’s like the saying goes: you are what you eat. So, the next time you prepare a meal be sure to include these high-octane antioxidant foods. Compliment your healthy diet with a rich antioxidant topical treatment to keep your skin looking youthful and radiant.
Sources: WebMD, Mayo Clinic, Blueberries.com, Harvard School of Public Health, ORACValues.com