Benefits of Antioxidants

Antioxidant benefits primarily focus on the prevention of free radical damage to the body, which can cause a variety of health problems from cancer to auto-immune disorders to age-related issues such as macular degeneration and Alzheimer's disease. When used in conjunction with a lifestyle containing exercise, a good diet, no smoking and limited alcohol use, antioxidant supplements could potentially lengthen your lifespan by adding five to ten years while preemptively attacking the early onset of heart disease.

Antioxidants are found in the following foods:

• acai berries

• broccoli

• green tea

• grapes

• whole grain brown rice

• red beets

• carrots

• kale

• raw nuts and seeds

• spinach

• apricots

• mangos

However, since many individuals prefer not to eat some of these foods due to allergies or personal taste, another convenient method you can use to receive the  benefits of antioxidants  is by taking krill oil supplements.

What is an Antioxidant?

As both a nutrient and an enzyme (proteins facilitating important chemical interactions), antioxidants are able to increase or decrease the oxidation process occurring within cells of living organisms, thereby reducing (or augmenting) the amount of damage done to the organism's system. Krill oil contains large amounts of natural antioxidants such as vitamin E, β-carotene and omega 3 fatty acids, which is why krill oil is known to reduce the risk of:

• cancer

• stroke

• heart disease

• arthritis

• cataracts

Antioxidant benefits are most apparent when combating oxidative stress damage to cells. Atoms called free radicals, which are chemically unstable due to a lack of or excess of electrons, attack cells and strip them of or add electrons which protect cell membranes and DNA from premature decay. This definition of free radicals also includes a subtype of free radical known as reactive oxygen species (ROS) which are considered the most harmful to the human body. For example, when you see apple cores that are brown or pieces of iron that are rust-covered, this is exactly the same kind of corrosive oxidation which occurs to both the internal and external systems of our bodies when free radicals have no antioxidants to prevent them from wrecking havoc with normal cells.

You can easily avoid the physiological harm inflicted by free radicals by regularly taking krill oil supplements and experiencing first-hand the  antioxidant benefits of krill oil  in fighting the effects of free radicals.

Origin of Free Radicals

Free radicals are produced by outside influences such as:

• pollution

• drugs

• x-rays

• cigarette smoking

• alcohol

• excessive sunlight

and other toxic substances with which we come in contact with daily but do not realize it. In addition, our own bodies generate free radicals when our immune system must expend energy while attacking infections, parasites or bacteria. When this occurs, an immune system which is not optimally functioning has no choice but to permit cells to lay unprotected and vulnerable to attack while it is busy using all of its resources in eliminating the infection.

Benefits of Krill Oil

Natural astaxanthin in krill oil contains antioxidant benefits in the form of omega-3 fatty acids not found in fish oil, an essential nutrient needed by the human body because we cannot naturally produce this type of fatty acid. These omega-3's-- eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA)--have been shown in clinical studies to:

• reduce LDL, the bad kind of cholesterol

• increase HDL, the good kind of cholesterol

• alleviate high blood sugar levels in diabetics

• reduce the chance of developing heart disease

• eases the pain of inflammation from arthritis

• promotes immune system responses to infection

• decreases severity of premenstrual symptoms

• protects skin against UV damage

• improves cognition and mood

• creates healthy cell membranes which aids in cell functioning

In addition to these  krill oil benefits  astaxanthin, which is extracted from tiny crustaceans living in the Antarctic Ocean resembling miniature shrimp, also contains substantial amounts of vitamins A, D and E, as well as the effective antioxidants astaxanthin and canthaxanthin.

Antioxidant Benefits of Astaxanthin in Krill Oil

Astaxanthin is a carotenoid, an organic pigment possessing qualities which contribute to a healthy cardiovascular system in humans. As a xanthophyll carotenoid found in plants, phytoplankton, fungi and marine organisms, astaxanthin is a powerful antioxidant containing anti-inflammatory properties caused by oxidative stress. Krill oil is rich in this astaxanthin supplement, which as been found to reduce lipid and protein oxidation in clinical trials involving patients who have taken krill oil supplements for several months.

Research has also shown that when an individual suffers a decrease in the amount of omega-3 fatty acids such as those found in krill oil supplements, this lack   antioxidant benefits   may actually encourage occurrences of latent inflammation, premature aging symptoms and oxidative stress.

Antioxidants and free radicals seem to have evolved to play out a sort of evolutionary arms race in the world of living organisms. While antioxidants continue to fight against the harmful effects of electron-scavenging free radicals, these hyperactive little atoms continue to find new ways to emerge and proliferate from conditions resulting from modern technology and unhealthy lifestyles chosen by individuals who probably do not realize the extent of what is happening at the subatomic level in their bodies.

 Researchers have recently been investigating the implications of   antioxidant benefits   of krill oil on slowing down the aging process. Although the consensus among scientists is that our cells appear to be "programmed" for eventual death by our genes, antioxidants clearly have a beneficial effect on cells in that they avert free radicals from inflicting age-related impairment on cells. So even though we do not yet know how to change genetic programming regarding longevity, antioxidants possess the potential for allowing our cells to remain "young and healthy" way into the later years when the body literally begins shutting down due to this preprogrammed cell death. Antioxidant benefits are also being seen in trials performed using individuals suffering from depression or mild mood disorders. One study done using twenty children diagnosed with depression found that of those children who took 1,000 milligrams of krill oil daily, 70 % of them responded favorably while none of the children responded when given a placebo. In addition, the children did not experience any side effects from taking the krill oil supplements.