Every second of the day, there is a veritable biochemical manufacturing plant operating in each cell in our body, with thousands of chemical reactions occurring, extracting energy, storing energy, producing proteins from amino acids, repairing cell walls, fighting infections, and replacing dead cells.
All of these chemical reactions are capable of producing reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species (also called free radicals). Left to roam the cells uncontrolled, they can do much damage to the integrity of the structure and function of cells, and even the capacity of DNA to stay intact and functional.
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This can be likened to the waste disposal system of a city. Manufacturing plants and the food industry of any city produce masses of waste products. If these are not removed and processed, they will eventually clog up and damage the system and bring everything to a standstill. This is why your favourite restaurant kitchen is spotlessly clean, and why manufacturing plants employ cleaners and maintenance engineers to keep equipment functional.
In the body, this function is mediated by antioxidants. Most are obtained from plant foods – like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. As was mentioned in our last article, these antioxidants are found in various forms of phytonutrients – substances like carotenoids, lycopene, resveratrol, isoflavones, isothiocyanates, allyl sulphides, and polyphenols to name a few. Other antioxidants include vitamins A, C and E.
Because scientific studies show the value of these phytonutrients and vitamins in preventing disease when ingested in a healthy diet, some scientists have investigated regular consumption of supplements added to the standard diet consumed by most people, rather than changing the whole diet. But results have been disappointing, and in some cases, as with beta-carotene supplements in middle-aged male smokers, have increased the incidence of lung cancer.
Diseases associated with excess free radicals are cancer, cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, neurodegenerative disease (like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases), rheumatoid arthritis, and ageing.
Thus, a diet rich in plant foods – the source of phytochemicals – has been scientifically proven to contribute towards prevention and even healing of many of these diseases. It is also the reason all current national and global dietary guidelines emphasise the importance of increasing our daily intake of a wide variety of plant foods.
How can you benefit from these packaged health bombs? Start by increasing your serving of the fruits and vegetables you do eat at each meal. Next, try out some new fruits or vegetables from time to time. It may take a bit of time and effort to find palatable ways of food preparation, but take it as a culinary adventure, for the sake of your health.
Dr Dave Glass
MBChB, FCOG(SA), DipIBLM.
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