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Foods With Antioxidants May Lose Some Of Its Benefits As Time Passes |
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Written by Kirsten Whittaker
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Sunday, 04 October 2009 10:40 |
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If food and drinks are stored that are rich with antioxidants for longer than you should they can start to lose their nutritional benefits over time.
by KirstenWhittaker
If you store drinks or foods with antioxidants for too long they can lose their nutritional value.
One study looked at the organic compounds that are found in green tea leaves. These compounds are called catechins and are believed to fight off infection, the immune system and even potentially prevent cancer.
Because this type of product remains on the supermarket shelves for a long time, a team from the Western Regional Research Center of the U.S. Department of Agriculture researched to check if the amount of this amazing compound stayed constant over time.
There was a progressive reduction over time, but even after a short time the levels of catechin reduced. There was a 32% on average reduction after six months of storage.
In addition another study from the University of Foggia in Italy checked a number of varieties of olive oil that had been been made a few days after the olives were picked. The team ensured the production was consistent across each batch of olive oils.
This amazing oils has been implicated in reducing the risk of stroke, helping with heart health and maybe even reduce the risk of some forms of cancer. Once Antonella Baiano and her team checked the levels of antioxidants in the oil, and found that they did not change significantly within the first three months. But, by the 6-month mark, most of the oils had lost about 40% of their antioxidant properties.
So, this means that even if you do everything right foods can still lose their nutritional stength. So, antioxidants are more fragile than initially thought, and the fresher you eat your food the better.
Choose containers that are tinted, which will reduce the chance of the antioxidants being broken down.
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