AOX this, (maybe) not that
It’s hard to ignore the latest research showing that certain foods - superfoods - contain micronutrients and plant-based phytonutrients that have profound effects on our body, brain and gut. Free radicals in our body - from exposure to environmental toxins, stress, eating artificial colors, sweeteners and cured foods to the inevitable by-product of even exercising and digestion - can cause damage to our cells. Certain substances “quench” these free radicals - antioxidants (AOX). Antioxidants are your body’s natural defense against free radicals. Your body can produce antioxidants like alpha lipoic acid and glutathione using essential minerals like zinc, copper, magnesium and manganese. These minerals are “cofactors” to fuel your body’s immune system and the vast array of critical biochemical reactions (37 billion billion reactions in your body every second)! But there are some antioxidants like Vitamin C that your body can get only through certain foods.
To the extent our body has sufficient supply of antioxidant nutrients (self-produced or through food), free radical damage is kept to a minimum. But if our antioxidant reserves are insufficient to handle the amount of free radical activity, those free radicals will begin to attack healthy cells and tissues - from skin to joints, arteries and blood vessels, brain and gut. This attack can also spark inflammation. Inflammation refers to your body’s process of fighting against things that harm it, such as infections, injuries, and toxins, in an attempt to heal itself. When something damages your cells, your body releases chemicals that trigger a response from your immune system (things like cytokines). But if inflammation lasts too long (chronic inflammation), it can cause long term damage on your tissues and organs. Some research suggests that chronic inflammation could play a role in a range of illnesses, from cancer to asthma, atherosclerosis to depression, Alzheimer’s to IBS. Antioxidants are the first line of defense against the detrimental effects of free radical damage, and most of these substances are anti-inflammatory (AIN).
It turns out that plants have developed a highly sophisticated defense mechanism to counteract harmful free radicals that they are exposed to - antioxidants. Embedded in plants, highly colorful pigments protect against fungus, insects and UV radiation from the sun. Our bodies never went to the trouble of making these antioxidants because they were so readily available for use in plant-based foods - we just need to eat them.
We’ve been brought up thinking of food in terms of individual elements that we need - carrots for vitamin A and oranges for vitamin C. But foods have hundreds of compounds (phytonutrients) that work together and cannot be easily replicated in pill form. There are over 6,000 flavonoids that have been found by researchers. Unfortunately, we think that the food isn’t that important, only the nutrient it contains. “The results of large-scale randomized trials show that, for the majority of the population, there is no overall benefit from taking multivitamins” - this is from the the National Institute of Health’s website. Dr. Michael Greger, the famous evidence-based medicine nutritionist behind NutritonFacts, says “in 2012 a double blind placebo controlled study, the Harvard Physicians Study 2, found that after a decade of multivitamin use there was no effect on heart attack, stoke or mortality.”
It’s not entirely clear why studies haven’t been conclusive on the benefits of vitamin supplementation. Some say that it’s partially because our highly adaptive gut microbiome doesn’t fully recognize or absorb these synthetic forms outside of the whole food. Additionally, studies show that antioxidants work together synergistically along with dietary fiber, polyunsaturated fat and proteins. The sum is greater than the parts. Scientists are finding hundreds of phytonutrients have powerful effects in our body - explaining why blueberry can benefit Alzheimer’s patients or elderberry can protect against colds and flu or cabbage can heal an ulcer (as two of our founders can testify). We aren’t against taking vitamins, and in full disclosure, we take them as an insurance policy, but the science is clear that eating whole, plant-based food will nourish you with hundreds of more protective nutrients than simply taking a pill.