ORAC Antioxidant - Comparing the Goods

Scoring Antioxidant Levels? Introducing ORAC Antioxidant!

The ORAC antioxidant scale is a way to measure the total antioxidant power of a substance. The more free radicals a substance can absorb, the higher it rates on the ORAC scale.

So why are ORAC values important?

The rates of chronic disease in Australia, the United States and other parts of the world have increased at a phenomenal level in recent years. We only have to look at the statistics to understand how serious this decline is in the western world.

Health problems such as obesity and Type 2 Diabetes for example, is on the rise world wide and it is even affecting younger people.

The number of Australians who have diabetes has doubled since the 1980's and it is estimated at least 940,000 Australians have this disease.

While modern scientific medicine and the pharmaceutical industry provide many powerful weapons in fighting disease, it merely treats the symptoms but provides no cure.

ORAC Antioxidant - Nutrition and Antioxidants

Or what is not being consumed in large enough amounts.

The problem is we aren't getting enough antioxidants in our diets, even though it is a well known fact they play a critical role in preserving our health.

Now one company has developed a rating system so they can let consumers know which foods have the highest antioxidant values.

ORAC Antioxidant - Are Antioxidants Important?

Antioxidants are not just some wonder ingredient that has been hyped by the health food industry. They are a very real part of good health. Let's look at how they can help so you understand the importance of eating a variety of foods high in antioxidants.

In our modern, fast-paced and stressful life we are constantly bombarded by free radicals. Free radicals are lonely electrically charged particles that roam around your body looking for ways to complete themselves.

To do this, they knock loose electrons from other atoms in your body, changing the composition of your cells and your organs. It doesn't take many free radicals to do a lot of damage.

Today, medical research has connected the presence of free radicals to everything from skin cancer to chronic diseases to wrinkles. And because you never know what they might attack, you don't know what type of damage they can do.

But this is where antioxidants enter the picture. Antioxidants enter your body and are able to connect with the free radicals to create whole atoms that can safely travel through your body without doing any damage.

The more antioxidants you have the fewer free radicals are going to be present and that translates into better health as well as prevention against aging.

ORAC Antioxidant - The ORAC Scale

Now that you understand the importance of antioxidants you can begin to understand why it's important to rank the antioxidant values in different types of foods and antioxidant supplements on the ORAC scale

To do this, a measurement known as the ORAC is used.

ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity.

The ORAC scale basically measures the amount of free radicals that can be absorbed by a substance. The higher the ORAC values the more antioxidant power the food contains.

As with any type of nutritional measurement, there are recommended daily amounts you should consume. Currently, most of the nutritionists are suggesting 5000 ORAC units daily is a good starting place.

While that may seem like a lot of antioxidants, it's not when you look at the levels contained in some of the most common foods you can eat.

Take blueberries, for example. If you eat 100 grams of fresh blueberries, you're getting 2400 ORAC units. Strawberries and raspberries are not quite that high but both have ORAC values at well over 1000 a piece.

While those three berries are good sources of antioxidants, most of the food we eat is not. That's why you may need to turn elsewhere to get your recommended allotment of ORAC units each day.

Choosing Supplements With High ORAC Values

Now that ORAC values or measurements are being widely used thanks to this company, consumers are finally going to be able to make smarter choices between the antioxidant supplements on the market.

Instead of just having to listen to promises of high antioxidant levels, now consumers will be able to check this information with the ORAC values for the product.

When the company publishes how their product or supplement rates on the ORAC scale, people can more easily compare the effectiveness of each one and determine which would be the best choice.

The other good part about ORAC values is that they also make it easier for the sellers of antioxidant supplements to explain how beneficial their products are going to be for users.

While a list of ingredients might be helpful, it does little to really tell health conscious consumers about the real benefits.

ORAC Antioxidant Conclusions

The bottom line is ORAC values that measure the antioxidant levels in foods and supplements is going to have a wide range of benefits for everyone involved in the industry.

It's been a long time coming but finally there is going to be a way to ensure that you can get the antioxidants you need in your diet by checking the ORAC values, so you don't have to be a victim of chronic disease.


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