Basically, there are only two ways to lose weight. Either you don’t eat; or you exercise like mad. Unfortunately, doing either will likely lead you to end up in the hospital. So, what to do, what to do?

Already lauded as a powerful health drink, green tea antioxidant also helps dieters shed fat. How? Well, before we answer that question, let us first delve a little bit into the history of green tea antioxidant.

The History of Green Tea Antioxidant

Green tea antioxidant was first used in ancient China. It is said that while the emperor’s servants were boiling water, some leaves of a nearby plant fell on it. The scent was so fragrant and the resulting tea was so delicious that the emperor readily wanted his tea to be made of this plant. That plant later came to be known in the scientific world as Camellia sinensis, the plant where black tea, oolong tea, and green tea antioxidants come from.

Weight Loss Benefits of Green Tea Antioxidant

Now, hundreds of thousands of years later, green tea antioxidants have certainly come a long way, from a simple health drink to something even medicinal. Cancer research has paid much attention to the benefits of green tea antioxidants for apparently, they have a preventive effect on cancer cells, stopping them from growing and multiplying. The free radicals that cause most cancers are neutralized by green tea antioxidants.

Green tea antioxidants have also been linked to several other diseases for its apparent curative and preventive effects. Green tea antioxidants are said to reduce the risk of heart disease and even degenerative disorders most associated with aging, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, and more.

Yet for all its wondrous benefits, nothing could be more surprising that green tea antioxidant’s apparent weight loss benefits. In a study on the weight loss effects of green tea antioxidants, scientists found out that the 24 hour energy expenditure of 10 healthy men receiving doses of green tea antioxidants showed a significant increase of 4%. To measure the exact weight loss benefits, the investigators gave three doses of caffeine (50 mg), green tea extract, and a dummy placebo every day. The weight loss team given green tea appeared to lose more weight than the ones given only placebo and caffeine.

Apparently, much of the weight loss benefits of green tea lies in its thermogenic effects. Weight loss is promoted when green tea antioxidants stimulate the cells to metabolize fats faster, thus leading to more energy and greater weight loss.

What are free radicals? Why are they damaging to the human body? And how does vitamin E and the other antioxidant nutrients help protect the body against free radical damage?

In this article, we will attempt to answer all your questions about antioxidant and free radicals, plus help you understand why it is so important to include rich sources of antioxidant nutrients in your daily diet.

A Little Background on Chemical Bonding

When talking about antioxidant and free radicals, we can’t help but touch a little on biochemistry. You probably remember from your old high school days that the human body is composed of many different cells and each cell is composed of many different molecules. Molecules consist of one or more atoms of one or more elements joined together by chemical bonds.

A typical atom is comprised of a nucleus – neutrons, protons, and electrons. Electrons are those negatively charged particles that orbit the cluster of protons in an atom. When there are eight electrons in an orbit, it means that that particular orbit (or shell as it is called) is full which further means the atom is stable. Stable atoms tend not to enter into chemical reactions. Because atoms seek to reach a state of maximum stability, an atom will try to fill its shell with electrons by:

• Gaining or losing electrons to either fill or empty its outer shell
• Sharing its electrons by bonding together with other atoms in order to complete its outer shell

Free Radicals: The Formation

The free radicals are formed when weak bonds between atoms are split. Free radicals contain an odd, unpaired electron which causes them to be very unstable and react quickly with other compounds. Because it is the nature of free radicals, which is basically an atom with an unpaired electron, to achieve stability, they will try to do so by capturing the needed electron from other molecules. When the free radicals steel electrons from a stable molecule, that molecule will become a free radical itself, beginning a chain reaction. Once the process of free radicals formation is started, it can cascade, finally resulting in the disruption of a living cell.

Antioxidants: Natural Enemies of Free Radicals

Antioxidants such as vitamins C and E are thought to protect the body against the destructive effects of free radicals. What antioxidants do is neutralize the free radicals. Antioxidants do this by donating one of their own electrons, thus ending the electron-“stealing” reaction.

For years now, scientists have touted antioxidants as the answer to all sorts of diseases, even aging. From preventing heart disease to slowing down degenerative diseases, to stopping cancer, to reducing blood pressure – you name it and everything points right back to antioxidants.

The human body is incapable of producing its own concentration of antioxidants. For this reason, we depend solely on our diet in order to get the store of antioxidants we need to combat diseases. Antioxidants protect the body from harmful, excess free radicals, sweeping them up before they can cause damage.

These days, when we talk about antioxidants, the first thing that comes to people’s minds is “supplements.” However, studies on antioxidant supplements are for the most part inconclusive and so far, no one study has come up with the same results during antioxidant supplements tests. No problem though because you can always find antioxidant foods almost anywhere.

The best way to lay an antioxidant-rich foundation that’s inhospitable to toxins and free radicals is through a combination of whole foods. With antioxidant supplements still far from the high expectations of the scientific community, you can in the meantime turn to the more reliable source of these helpful compounds, which are antioxidant foods. Below are some examples of antioxidant foods which you can include in your daily diet:

Berries

The provocative allure, the fragile charm, the rich concentration of nutrients. All these spell the one of the most important antioxidant foods – berries. Berries are full of fibers, minerals and vitamins. They are also loaded with healing antioxidants, which of course make them excellent antioxidant foods.

There are several kinds of berries, as you well know, and each kind has a different concentration of antioxidants. In recent studies, purple berries (such as Elderberry and black currant) are considered as the richest antioxidant foods. However, raspberries, cranberries, blueberries, and blackberries are also good antioxidant foods that are rich in proanthocyanidins which help prevent cancer and heart disease.

Broccoli

Another excellent antioxidant foods are green leafy vegetables. Your mom always say, “Eat your broccoli.” Believe me, your mom is not out to torture you by making you eat veggies you hate. There is actually a scientific reason to this.

Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables like cabbages, cauliflowers, and Brussels sprouts are great antioxidant foods. They help prevent cancer and ward off heart disease. Cruciferous vegetables contain a compound called “indole-3-carbinol which is an antioxidant that reduces the risk of breast cancer and other estrogen-sensitive cancers, like cancer of the ovaries and the cervix.

Over centuries bilberry has been used for its medicinal purposes. Similar to blueberries and cranberries, bilberry also contains anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant qualities. This fruit is used for its astringent, tonic and antiseptic properties which can treat various health problems like diarrhea, dysentery, hemorrhoids and gastrointestinal inflammation. The most important use for bilberry has been the treatment of various eye disorders and improvement of capillary health.

Bilberry has been very effective in improving night vision. Being a close relative of blueberry, it contains high levels of natural antioxidant compound. These antioxidants prevent free radicals from causing any damage to the eye. It also strengthens the small blood vessels that carry oxygen to the eyes.

Bilberry is high in flavonoids known as Anthocyanosides, that quickens the regeneration of Rhodospin, a purple pigment used as rods in the eye for night vision. It is also useful in treating macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and cataract. One study has shown that combination of bilberry extracts and vitamin E reduces the progression of cataract.

Studies have shown that supplementation with bilberry improves eye adaptation to darkness for people with poor vision. It does not work with people having good vision though. Bilberry extracts are known to improve the functional ability of eyes and other organs. It is also useful in treating bruising, general subcutaneous bleeding, and easing inflammation that occurs in osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gum disease.

Bilberry leaves can be used to treat diabetes due to its hypoglycemic properties. It can be used as a topical treatment in the form of infusion or decoctions, like tea or liquid extracts for eyes and mouth inflammation, skin infections and burns. It is known to treat chronic venous insufficiency, varicose veins, pain, itching, and skin ulcers in the legs. It may also prove be effective in treating Raynaud’s disease.

It can be useful in treating atherosclerosis as it strengthens artery walls and promotes good circulation. Eating bilberry mixed with honey is a popular home remedy for diarrhea. It is also very effective in curing and treating peptic ulcers, fibrocystic breast disease and painful menstruation. It is available in tincture as well as capsule form. And fresh bilberries are always there to be plucked.

To reduce cataract, macular degeneration and other eye problems take 80-160 mg of standardized extract or 1/2 teaspoon liquid extract two or three times a day. For diabetic retinopathy take 80- 160 mg (standardized to 23-37% anthocyanosides) at least three times a day

To treat varicose veins consume 80-160 mg standardized extract three times a day.

For sore throat and diarrhea make bilberry tea by pouring 1 cup hot water in 1 or 2 tablespoons of dried whole berries (or 2 to 3 teaspoons of finely crushed berries). Strain and drink at least 4 cups a day.

In some individuals consumption of bilberry internally may interfere with iron absorption. Lactating and pregnant women should avoid it, completely.

Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.