Antioxidants are found abundantly in many fresh fruits, vegetables, some grains and legumes and there are many varying types.
They all play a vital function as they protect our cells from ageing and potentially stop them leading to disease, but not all antioxidants are made equal. Most are water-soluble which makes it hard for them to enter the inside of our cells where they can be effective.
Now the #French are notorious lovers of #redwine and are considered to be super #healthy due to their low cardiovascular rates and relatively small frames, even though they eat lots of fats and carbohydrate rich foods.
It was originally believed to be from the red wine they drink, but it turns out it may not be that simple.
While red wine contains the antioxidant resveratrol, found within the red grapes, Brisbane #Biochemist #GregJardine noted that the French #oak #barrel itself, which the wines are usually aged in, are emitting their own even more powerful antioxidant called #ellagitannin, similar to that found in pomegranate.
“The combination of the red wine antioxidant and French oak antioxidant are like a super food double whammy, although more recently the ‘whammy’ was not double but 700 times more potent!” says Greg Jardine.
So when buying wines, grab some of the red, organic where possible, that has been aged in the French oak, as this is where food really is medicine!
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