Question

Jack is very health conscious and takes an antioxidant vitamin supplement daily because he’s heard that these vitamins reduce risk for chronic disease. His girlfriend, Jill, thinks that any supplements are unnecessary if one has a healthy, balanced diet. They bring their questions on what exactly antioxidants do, how they reduce risk for disease and the best sources to you, a nutritional health professional.

Question 2: Define for Jack and Jill what the terms “free radical” and “antioxidant” mean and explain their actions in the body, including how these molecules interact. Discuss the research surrounding the supplement versus food debate and recommend the best sources for antioxidant vitamins. You will need to defend your answer using specific facts, data, and other information drawn from the textbook and at least one other supplemental source.

Answer 1

Answer: Antioxidants are found in the substances such as green vegetables, foods etc exists in the form of vitamins and other nutrients. These antioxidants reduces the risk of disease occurrence. It increases the HDL which is good for the heart. It fights against the LDL which is also known as bad cholesterol. These cholesterol that is low density lipoproteins helps in building of the plague in the walls of the artery. Hence it increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. But the antioxidants breaks and fights the LDL and reduces it's amount. The antioxidants bind the free radicals. The free radical are those molecules present in the body which breaks down when exposed to radiation. Hence the antioxidants prevents disease occurrence.