Blueberries from Arenamontanus on Flickr
Ars Technica pointed out an interesting bit of biochemistry-fu the other day. Our friend, the antioxidant, long touted as practically a cure-all wonder chemical, might be a browncoat turncoat.
WHAT YOU SAY?
Apparently, the green tea, acai, blueberry, and tomato vendors heard that.
The same properties that make AOs desirable as aids to wellness mean that, should certain unpleasantries (namely cancer) come to pass, they could also benefit from them. In a nutshell, antioxidants allowed cells that had been separated from their surrounding tissue to function much more normally than they would otherwise — specifically in terms of generating energy and resisting damage from free oxygen. This allows the cells to live much longer; definitely bad news if something is metastasizing.
The research is still very preliminary, and the Big C is hopefully not something that too many of us have to worry about right now, but it’s an interesting and sobering reminder about how complex our bodies are, even when it comes to taking in stuff that’s good for us.
No related posts.
Sobering thought, but it does make sense. Antioxidants can’t differentiate cancerous cells from non, after all.
However, choosing fresh fruit or vegetables over snack cakes is always a good idea.
[...] meaningful quantities. These can help lower blood pressure, as well as do all the other nifty (and not-so-nifty) tricks that anti-oxidants from more traditional sources [...]