How Do Antioxidants Reduce Inflammation?
You know that stress is bad for your body and mind, but are you aware of how it can affect your overall wellness?
Stress and other factors can lead to chronic inflammation, a condition that many people don’t even realize they’re suffering from. Luckily, there are ways to reduce that inflammation and help heal your body – one of the most effective is taking antioxidants.
We’re going to take a closer look at the connection between inflammation and antioxidants, breaking down exactly how antioxidants reduce inflammation and why you should consider adding them to your supplement routine.
What Is Inflammation?
When physical stress manifests as chronic inflammation, it can have both short- and long-term repercussions for your health and wellbeing. Your body activates the immune system, sending out inflammatory cells and cytokines to facilitate the healing process. But if you aren’t sick or injured – just stressed – you can have chronic inflammation. This means that your body is constantly in a state of attempting to heal but unable to do so.
How Do I Know If I Have Inflammation?
The symptoms of chronic inflammation can often be disguised as a vague feeling of being “off.” For example, you might feel tired or stiff without any apparent reason. Or, you might have more noticeable physical symptoms of inflammation, such as abdominal pain or skin rashes.
Although the causes of inflammation can sometimes be traced to medical conditions, such as autoimmune disease, there are also lifestyle factors that can contribute:
- Experiencing chronic stress
- Drinking alcohol in excess
- Smoking
- Intense, too-frequent exercise
- Infrequent exercise
- Obesity
Most of us can agree that stress is an inevitable part of our lives – so how do you treat inflammation caused by stress? The good news is that an effective, all-natural option is proven to reduce inflammation and help you get back to feeling your best: antioxidants.
What Are Antioxidants?
The term “antioxidants” refers to a category of substances that may help prevent or delay the cell damage caused by inflammation and other factors.
You can find antioxidants in many foods, including various fruits and vegetables and specific supplements. Your body also naturally produces some antioxidants. Some examples of antioxidants are:
- Vitamin A (found in butter, eggs, milk, and liver)
- Vitamin C (found in many fruits and vegetables, such as berries, oranges, broccoli, and kale)
- Vitamin E (found in certain nuts and seeds, including peanuts and almonds, as well as leafy greens)
- Beta-carotene (found in brightly colored produce such as carrots, peas, sweet potatoes, peaches, and mangos)
- Lycopene (found in red and pink produce, such as watermelon and tomatoes)
- Selenium (in whole grains, nuts, legumes, and most meats)
- Lutein (found in leafy green vegetables, as well as oranges, broccoli, and corn)
Each antioxidant has a unique chemical makeup and offers its specific benefits. It’s essential to aim for balanced amounts of antioxidants, as too much or too little of any is not ideal.
The Relationship between Antioxidants and Inflammation
The role of antioxidants in the body is to help protect healthy cells from the damaging effects of inflammation and other factors.
When your body is experiencing inflammation – even inflammation that occurs due to exercise – highly unstable molecules known as “free radicals” are formed. Free radicals can then cause oxidative stress, which triggers cell damage. It is believed that oxidative stress may play a part in many diseases, including cancer, diabetes, macular degeneration, cardiovascular conditions, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and more.
So, do antioxidants help with inflammation? Antioxidants have been shown to counteract the oxidative stress caused by free radicals, which may positively impact preventing or delaying disease and other health issues.
How to Get More Antioxidants Daily
Eating a balanced diet is an important way to get your antioxidants, though supplements can also help. And because many of us eat less than “perfectly” daily, supplements may be a helpful way to fill in the gaps.
One option is to consider naturally-sourced supplements that harness the antioxidants found in fresh produce, such as Core Culture’s Mushroom Immunity Supplement. With antioxidants from various nutritious mushrooms, Shroom Boom is an easy way to maximize your antioxidant intake regularly.
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If you’re interested in supplements, quality is essential. You can trust Core Culture to provide only the best wellness supplements, made from premium-grade, natural ingredients and formulated based on science.
Check out our full selection of supplements to start shopping today!
Article Sources:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/21660-inflammation
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/antioxidants-in-depth
Featured Image Credit: Natalia Lisovskaya / Shutterstock