For a long time, various foods and supplements made claims of having antioxidant properties—the property that takes dangerous oxygen free radicals in the body and reduces them to molecules which are safe. Now there is a way of proving just how potent these antioxidants really are. It's called ORAC, which stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity . The higher the ORAC rating, the better is the antioxidant's capabilities to rid the body of oxygen free radicals.
Oxygen free radicals are molecules that are normally found in the body. They actually serve a good purpose in the body when used in small amounts and in the right place. When they show up in the cells of the body in higher numbers, they can do damage and affect heart disease, cancer and the aging process. They are molecules that are missing an electron so they look around for an electron to steal from other molecules. They occur as a natural process of digestion and are much increased with exposure to smoking, pollution and chemicals in our water and food.
Oxygen free radicals cause a process called oxidation—a process that damages the DNA and other parts of the cells. Oxidization is much like the process that happens when copper turns green. It damages the metal's surface and can corrode the metal. Oxygen free radicals cause a condition called oxidative stress in the body. This can lead to many of the chronic diseases we see today.
Antioxidants change oxygen free radicals into harmless molecules. Knowing how good an antioxidant is will tell you whether or not you can trust it to protect you from oxygen free radicals. This is where ORAC comes in. It's the first method known to easily and accurately measure the degree of antioxidant ability in foods and supplements.
As it turns out, foods derived from plants have the highest ORAC levels. This includes many fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts and whole grains. The brighter the food, the higher is the ORAC level and the better antioxidant properties it has. Think of foods like blueberries, strawberries and spinach. Certain health supplements have great potential as antioxidants as well.
The ORAC test is listed as ORAC units per 100 grams of food or supplement. Some of the highest known foods according to ORAC testing are blueberries, strawberries and kale. Of the fruits and vegetables, the highest ORAC ratings are found in the skins of the produce.
If you're choosing an antioxidant supplement, consider asking if it has a known ORAC rating. This is a relatively new test now but will likely be the standard of the future in antioxidant measurement.
To review high ORAC supplements click here.
