Free radicals cause aging and wrinkles. This is obviously a concern for anyone concerned about their health or having a youthful, wrinkled-free skin.
Antioxidants offer powerful, effective protection for your body or skins particularly against the damaging effects of free radicals. How much antioxidant can we get from the food we eat daily?
Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) is a test tube analysis that measures the total antioxidant power of foods and other chemical substances. It measures the ability of foods, blood plasma, and just about any substance to subdue oxygen free radicals in the test tube.
High-ORAC Foods May Slow Aging
In the studies, eating plenty of high-ORAC foods:
Raised the antioxidant power of human blood 10 to 25 percent
Prevented some loss of long-term memory and learning ability in middle-aged rats
Maintained the ability of brain cells in middle-aged rats to respond to a chemical stimulus--a function that normally decreases with age
Protected rats' tiny blood vessels--capillaries--against oxygen damage
Here is a list of Top-Scoring Fruits & Vegetables... ORAC units per 100 grams (about 3 ½ ounces)
Fruits
- Prunes: 5770
- Raisins: 2830
- Blueberries: 2400
- Blackberries: 2036
- Strawberries: 1540
- Raspberries: 1220
- Plums: 949
- Oranges: 750
- Red grapes: 739
- Cherries: 670
- Kiwi fruit: 602
- Grapefruit, pink: 483
Vegetables
- Kale: 1770
- Spinach: 1260
- Brussels sprouts: 980
- Alfalfa sprouts: 930
- Broccoli flowers: 890
- Beets: 840
- Red bell pepper: 710
- Onion: 450
- Corn: 400
- Eggplant: 390
Sources are from USDA http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/1999/990208.htm. Please read to find out more details.
More on the ORAC scale from http://www.therapeutic-grade.com/refs/orac.html:
Essential Oil Antioxidant Capacity
- Clove: 1,078,700
- Myrrh: 379,800
- Citronella: 312,000
- Coriander: 298,300
- Fennel: 238,400
- Clary sage: 221,000
- German chamomile: 218,600
- Cedarwood: 169,000
- Rose: 160,400
- Nutmeg: 158,100
- Longevity™ (blend): 151,100
- Melissa: 134,300
- Marjoram: 130,900
- Ylang ylang: 130,000
- Palmarosa: 127,800
- Rosewood: 113,200
- Manuka: 106,200
- Wintergreen: 101,800
- Geranium: 101,000
- Ginger: 99,300
- Bay laurel: 98,900
- Eucalyptus citriodora: 83,000
- Cumin: 82,400
- Black pepper: 79,700
- Vetiver: 74,300
- Petitgrain: 73,600
- Blue cypress: 73,100
- Citrus hystrix (limette): 69,200
- Douglas fir: 69,000
- Blue tansy: 68,800
- Goldenrod: 61,900
- Melaleuca ericifolia: 61,100
- Blue yarrow: 55,900
- Spikenard: 54,800
- Basil: 54,000
- Patchouli: 49,400
- White fir: 47,900
- Tarragon: 37,900
- Cajeput: 37,600
- Peppermint: 37,300
- Cardamom: 36,500
- Dill: 35,600
- Celery seed: 30,300
- Canadian Fleabane: 26,700
- Mandarin: 26,500
- Lime: 26,200
- Galbanum: 26,200
- Myrtle: 25,400
- Cypress: 24,300
Foods Antioxidant Capacity
- Berry Young Juice®: 4,214
- Vitamin E oil: 3,309
- Pomegranates: 3,037
- Blueberries: 2,400
- Kale: 1,770
- XanGo juice: 1,644
- Tahitian Noni: 1,506
- Strawberries: 1,540
- Spinach: 1,260
- Raspberries: 1,220
- Brussels sprouts: 980
- Plums: 949
- Broccoli florets: 890
- Beets: 840
- Oranges: 750
- Red grapes: 739
- Red bell peppers: 710
- Cherries: 670
- Yellow corn: 400
- Eggplant: 390
- Limu juice: 305
- Carrots: 210
Essential Oils Antioxidant Capacity
- Grapefruit: 22,600
- Hyssop: 20,900
- Balsam fir: 20,500
- Niaouli: 18,600
- Thyme: 15,960
- Oregano: 15,300
- Cassia: 14,800
- Sage: 11,300
- Mountain savory: 10,340
- Cinnamon bark: 7,100
- Tsuga: 6,200
- Valerian: 3,860
- Cistus: 3,860
- Eucalyptus globulus: 2,410
- Orange: 1,890
- Lemongrass: 1,780
- Helichrysum: 1,740
- Ravensara: 890
- Lemon: 660
- Frankincense: 630
- Spearmint: 540
- Lavender: 360
- Rosemary: 330
- Juniper: 250
- Roman chamomile: 240
Can Foods Forestall Aging?
Studies at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston suggest that consuming fruits and vegetables with a high-ORAC value may help slow the aging process in both body and brain.
Food antioxidants not only are absorbed, they boost the antioxidant power of the blood.
The results of the experimental studies show: Ten ounces of fresh spinach produced the biggest rise in the women's blood antioxidant scores—even greater than was caused by 1,250 milligrams of vitamin C. An 8-ounce serving of strawberries was less effective than vitamin C but a little more effective than 9.6 ounces of red wine.
Sources are from USDA http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/feb99/aging0299.htm. Please read to find out more details.
Fruits' Antioxidant Strength Revisited
Researchers measured blood (plasma) antioxidant capacity, or AOC, of volunteers shortly after these healthy women, age 18 to 70, had eaten blueberries, cherries or dried plums, or had downed 10.6 ounces of dried-plum juice. Analysis of the samples confirmed that antioxidants in some foods apparently are easier to absorb and use than others. Dried plums, for instance, did not raise volunteers' plasma AOC levels, perhaps because one of plums' most plentiful antioxidants—chlorogenic acid—isn't readily absorbed, or is readily degraded, by our bodies.
Sources are from USDA http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/np/fnrb/fnrb0707.htm#antioxidants. Please read to find out more details.
Other interested research articles on antioxidants:
Plant Pigments Paint a Rainbow of Antioxidants http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/nov96/plant.pdf
ORAC Values http://www.oregon-berries.com/cx15/message1.pdf
Ranking of high antioxidant level food: …blackberries, walnuts, strawberries, artichokes, cranberries, brewed coffee, raspberries, pecans, blueberries, ground cloves, grape juice, and unsweetened baking chocolate were at the top of the ranked list http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/84/1/95
Oregon Raspberry & Blackberry Commission. Oregon berries classified as nutraceuticals due to their much beneficial properties... http://www.oregon-berries.com/cx15/cx15.htm
CoffeeBerry, breakthrough discovery... Nature’s most powerful anti-oxidants ORAC score is between 15,000 and 17,500 (Data from VDF FutureCeuticals). http://www.revaleskin.com/coffeeberry-tour.php
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