It has been proved beyond doubt that antioxidant fruits are beneficial to health and well-being. However all antioxidant fruits do not provide the same level of health benefits. It could be said that some antioxidant fruits are more equal than others. They have a higher percentage of antioxidants and offer more health benefits than some of the other fruits. Some fruits may offer you nutrients along with antioxidant properties, while other fruit may have only vitamins.

The human body is designed to derive its energy requirements by utilizing oxygen as well as nutrients as fuel. However oxygen, though it does provide a lot of benefits and has a lot of positive effects, could possibly be accompanied by a negative ripple effect. When oxygen is processed in the body by a process known as oxidation, there is a simultaneous production of oxygen byproducts known as free radicals. The highly reactive free radicals may cause a certain amount of damage to cells. The antioxidant substances that are present in antioxidant fruits work by neutralizing these free radicals. In this process they are prevented from causing any damage.

The Benefits of Antioxidant Fruits

With so much being said in recent times about antioxidants and health benefits they provide people are becoming more and more aware of this radical substance. By now everybody knows that citrus fruits are rich in Vitamin C and apples have a high beta-carotene content. A daily diet that focuses on a high consumption of antioxidants helps give the body a stronger defense mechanism in its fight against free radicals and consequently oxidative stress, which is damage that free radicals cause. Many scientists have linked the process of oxidative stress to the development of degenerative and chronic diseases including cancer and heart disease.

Including cereals, vegetables and fruit in your diet give you additional benefits that you would not get if you took antioxidant supplements. Scientists suspect that this could be due to the fact that the consumption of antioxidant fruits in the form of food probably creates a combination of antioxidant substances that are lesser known but just as potent. These antioxidant combinations would probably have an effect that was far greater than that provided by any individual antioxidant supplement or any single nutrient.

In one of the recent Journal of Nutrition issues, the analysis of the antioxidant content of many different antioxidant fruits was published. According to the charts, strawberries, sour cherries, blue berries, crowberries, black currants, raspberries and black berries had the highest antioxidant content of all fruit in the berry family. Other important antioxidant fruits include grapefruit, plum, pomegranates, kiwi, lemon, orange, grape, dates, pineapple and Clementine. Broad beans were first in the list in the legume category, whereas walnuts occupied first place in the nuts category and sunflower seeds were second. Other foods that are rich in antioxidants include barley, red beets, kale, corn, red cabbage, ginger, chili pepper and millet.

Some of the most unexpected foods have been found to have high levels of antioxidants. While everybody knows that blueberries are a powerhouse of antioxidants, very few people know that the humble bean could also have equally high levels of antioxidants.

New studies that are being done suggest that in the imminent future beans way well be on their way to joining the family of foods that are rich in antioxidants. Some of the other foods in this group include potatoes, spices and berries. Very advanced analyses have been done recently on foods rich in antioxidants. These show that some of the most unlikely vegetables and fruits contain the presence of high levels of disease-fighting antioxidants. Some of these foods include Russet potato, artichokes and beans.

Particularly interesting is the fact that small red beans were found by researchers to be among the top of the list in the bean category of antioxidant-rich foods. As a matter of fact, it was found that these beans had a higher level of disease fighting antioxidants as compared to cultivated as well as wild blueberries combined. Blueberries have, down the ages, been known for their rich antioxidant content and of late they have been given even more importance with so much focus on free radicals and antioxidants. However it appears that the small red bean is all set to upstage the spotlight from blueberries.

The study also focused on other foods that are rich in antioxidants. Some of these foods included nuts as well spices such as oregano, cinnamon and ground cloves. The reason why their antioxidant benefits are not so evident is that we tend to eat these foods in much smaller quantities than vegetables and fruits.

Employing updated technology, the study assessed the antioxidant level in over 100 foods including nuts, cereals, fruits, spices, breads and vegetables. The antioxidant concentration was analyzed and each food was given a ranking that was based on the percentage of antioxidant per serving size.

Amongst all the fruits that were studied blackberries, blueberries and cranberries earned the highest ranking. Artichokes, Russet potatoes and beans were top ranked amongst all the vegetables. In the nut category it was hazelnuts, walnuts and pecans that were ranked highest in antioxidant content and in the spice category it was oregano, cinnamon and ground cloves.

Researchers have however noted that the potential health benefits of antioxidant-rich foods are not always totally dependent on the antioxidant capacity of that food. The process of absorption and digestion play an equally important role in determining the health benefits of any antioxidant.

Recently antioxidant rich foods are being given credit for helping cure or at least prevent a majority of diseases that are suspected to have resulted because of the attack of the free radicals on normal, healthy cells. This destruction of free radicals by antioxidants helps stop the ‘free radical chain’ reaction and also repairs cells that are damaged. Antioxidants appear to have some link to the treatment of various ailments such as Alzheimer’s, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease and cancer.

Extensive studies have been done on cell division in the human body and these show that cells can divide for a certain fixed number of times during the lifetime of a human being. Based on these studies scientists have concluded that most of the cells in the body will have finished using about 50% of their quota of cell-divisions by the time a person reaches the age of 20. Furthermore, by the time a person reaches the age of 40, the cells will have used up about 70% of their cell-division quota and have just 30% remaining. This explains why a person undergoes the physical changes that they do on the outside as well as the inside of the body as they age.

When these cells eventually use up the cell divisions that were naturally allotted to them, it results in the death of the person. This is an unavoidable occurrence that cannot be stopped. However scientists have discovered a way that this process may be retarded. Researchers have raised everyone’s hope by finally succeeded in finding a way to rejuvenate the lifespan of the cells and rejuvenate them.

So what are the causes of aging?

In recent days a large amount of scientific research is focused on trying to find a solution to the age-old dilemma of aging. From these studies it appears that the main culprits are free radicals- the higher the number of radicals that are present in your body, the more rapidly your body ages.

Free radicals are unstable, harmful substances that are a product of oxidation, a process that occurs naturally in the body. By themselves free radicals do not cause any harm. In fact, free radicals could benefit your body in some ways. The only problem with them is that they are incapable of distinguishing between harmful molecules and unhealthy molecules. This means that the possibility is very high that your healthy cells could also be attacked by them, causing massive tissue damage as well as cellular damage. This could eventually result in various chronic disorders or diseases, including aging.

Anti Aging Antioxidants – The Answer to Aging

The anti-aging-oxidants discovery has finally given Scientists a breakthrough in their continuous search to find the perfect solution to aging. Anti aging antioxidants are very distinct substances whole only function is acting on free radicals and preventing them from causing any damage to cell tissues. Though anti aging antioxidants substances that occur naturally, the body is incapable of producing them without any help. In fact human beings are dependant on plants for getting their supply of anti aging antioxidants.

Vegetables such as carrots, squash, potatoes, cabbages and cauliflower are the main sources of vitamins that behave like anti aging antioxidants.

If you have not heard of fair Isaac Corporation, you will soon because it is the most widely used software calculator. They use a new, unique mathematical formula developed by the corporation and report to the three major credit agencies.

Your credit score will determine the type of financing you will obtain or not obtain. You may obtain financing but at a higher rate.

The company reserves the right to disclose how the information is formulated and will reveal this information at a later date. However, they have stated it is based on a formula which takes into consideration the longevity and payment history. Everyone is evaluated on a case by case basis.

If you are interested in learning more about FICO, you may want to contact them directly and request more information. There are some companies that will look at the ‘whole person’ rather than numbers and scores.

There are ways that you can work on improving your score. You may want to look at these closely as there are ways that you can improve your score.

The first step is to get a copy of your report and study it! If there are any errors, work on getting them correctly. Contact the agency directly and let them know. If they do not respond or fix it, send them a letter.

Of course, you need to pay your bills on time. If you are not able to, call your creditor and let them know why. Most creditors are willing to work with you if you let them know what is going on.

You may want to purchase a short term loan and pay it back immediately. This will help improve your credit score.

Keep your balance below the limit. If you have a limit of $10,000.00 try to keep your balance low at all times, around $2,000.00 this will show that you are responsible with money, and are able to manage your money.

Shop around for lower interest cards. You can always transfer your balance to another card with a lower interest rate. This will help you because you will pay a lower interest rate.

Creditors like to examine and consider your overall credit value which is dependent upon whether you pay your bills responsibly, how long you have lived at your address, and what your overall credit history is and has been.

It is best to use your credit card for an emergency. This is the best way to think of credit cards and then in turn, pay it off as soon as possible.

Keep in mind that it is in your best interest to work on improving your credit score, so that you will pay lower interest rates and can obtain credit when you need it.