Antioxidants: Iron Dome Defense System in Our Body

The role of antioxidants for the health of our bodies

The process of aging and degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular cancer, blood clots include hiperlipidemik, atherosclerosis, stroke, and high blood pressure as well as the disruption of the body's immune system can be caused by oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress is a state of imbalance in the amount of oxidants and prooxidant body. In these conditions, the activity of free radical molecules or reactive oxygen species (ROS) can cause cellular and genetic damage. Lack of nutrients and the presence of xenobiotic compounds from food or polluted environment will worsen the situation.

When the general public of Japan or some Asian communities rarely have problems with a variety of degenerative diseases, it is caused by traditional healthy menu rich nutrients and bioactive components. These substances have the ability as an antioxidant, which plays an important role in inhibiting the chemical reaction of oxidation, which can damage macromolecules and can cause various health problems.

How antioxidants work

Mechanism of action of antioxidants has two functions. The first function is the main function of antioxidants is a hydrogen atom donor. Antioxidants (AH) which has the main function is often referred to as primary antioxidants. These compounds can provide rapid hydrogen atom to the lipid radical (R *, ROO *) or change it to a more stable form, while derivative antioxidant radicals (A *) has a more stable state than lipid radicals.

The second function is a secondary function of antioxidants, which slow the rate of autooksidasi with different mechanisms of chain termination mechanism autooksidasi outside the radical conversion of lipids to form more stable.

The addition of antioxidants (AH) with a low concentration of the primary lipids can inhibit or prevent autooksidasi reaction of fats and oils. Such addition may block the oxidation reaction at the stage of initiation and propagation. Antioxidant radicals (A *) is formed in the reaction is relatively stable and does not have enough energy to be able to react with other lipid molecules to form new lipid radicals.

Sources of antioxidants

Antioxidants are defined as compounds that can delay, slow down, and prevents the process of lipid oxidation. In a special sense, antioxidants are substances that can delay or prevent the occurrence of antioxidative reactions of free radicals in lipid oxidation.

The sources of antioxidants can be classified into two groups, namely synthetic antioxidants (antioxidants obtained from the synthesis of chemical reactions) and natural antioxidants (antioxidants result extraction of natural materials).

Some examples of synthetic antioxidants are permitted its use for food and its use has been frequently used, namely butyl hydroxy anisole (BHA), butyl hydroxy toluene (BHT), propyl gallate, tert-butyl hidoksi quinone (TBHQ) and tocopherols. Antioxidants are a natural antioxidant that has been produced synthetically for commercial purposes.

Natural antioxidants in food can be derived from (a) the existing antioxidant compounds from one or two food components, (b) an antioxidant compound that is formed from reactions during processing, (c) antioxidant compounds isolated from natural sources and added to food as food additives.

Antioxidant compounds isolated from natural sources are derived from plants. Plant kingdom, Angiosperm has approximately 250,000 to 300,000 species and of these approximately 400 species have been known to be a human food. Isolation of a natural antioxidant has been made ​​of edible plants, but not always from the edible part. Natural antioxidants are scattered in several parts of plants, such as wood, bark, roots, leaves, fruits, flowers, seeds and pollen.

Natural antioxidant plant compounds generally are phenolic or polyphenolic compounds which can be either class of flavonoids, cinnamic acid derivatives, coumarins, tocopherols and polyfunctional organic acids. Class of flavonoids that have antioxidant activity include flavones, flavonols, isoflavones, kateksin, flavonols and kalkon. While the cinnamic acid derivatives include kafeat acid, ferulic acid, chlorogenic acid, and others.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is used as a spice or traditional medicine. The components of ginger spicy like 6 gingerol and 6-shogaol is known to have considerable antioxidant activity. Of ginger extract volatilnya component that was removed by steam distillation, the fraction of non volatilnya after purification, it was found that there were four gingerol derivatives and four kinds diarilheptanoid which have strong antioxidant activity.

There are several phenolic compounds that have antioxidant activity have been isolated from soybean (Glycine max L.), one of which is a flavonoid. Flavonoids soy is unique in that of all the flavonoids were isolated and identified as isoflavones.

Conclusions:

Antioxidants for health

We all know that health is the main thing and the most important in human life as compared to other positions, power, rank, or wealth. Without optimal health, it would be meaningless, because that is fit and healthy is everyone's dream.

Epidemiological studies indicate there is a strong link between health status and life expectancy of humans with their consumption patterns. People in the area who consume lots of protein, fat, sugar and salt, for example, turns out to be more prevalent as people with degenerative diseases than people in the area who consume lots of carbohydrates, fiber and vitamins.

Majority countries such as Japan live longer, consume foods rich in nuts, vegetables and fruits and drink green tea berkebiasaan. Eskimo community whose life can not be separated from the consumption of fish, rarely found as people with heart disease. Community groups who are accustomed to consuming fermented milk was also on average have a longer life.

Increased prevalence of degenerative diseases in Indonesia, motivate Indonesian food and nutrition researchers to explore the antioxidant compounds derived from natural sources. The high biodiversity of natural resources and indigenous materials are bestowed by God to the nation of Indonesia, is potentially a very valuable and useful for public health.

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