A Scientific White Paper Research on the Importance of Antioxidants, Phytochemicals and Fiber for Achieving Optimal Health and Longevity
Introduction
Most of us have heard that diets high in fruits and vegetables can help us lose weight, reduce our risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, cataracts, macular degeneration, osteoporosis, arthritis and even wrinkles. As a matter of fact, according to the National Cancer Institute, 8 to 10 servings a day can cut our risk of some cancers in half!
Food science has just recently come to realize that there is much more to micronutrient nutrition than just vitamins and minerals. Indeed, there may be well over 1,000 different plant chemicals, known as Phytochemicals, that may have metabolic activity in humans! These include classes such as the alkaloids, carotenoids, coumarins, flavonoids, isothiocyanates, polyphenols, and polysaccharides, just to name a few! Some serve as antioxidants fighting free radicals, some assist the liver in detoxification, others modulate the immune system and hormone metabolism.
Factoid: In 1991, the University of Naples, Italy studied 70 to 100 year-olds and found that those who lived the longest and the healthiest ate a lot more fruit and vegetables.
In 1998, the University of Naples in Italy studied an elderly population and found that those who lived the longest and were the healthiest ate a lot more fruits and vegetables than those who died before their time. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the USDA Food Guide Pyramid advocates eating 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day for optimum health!
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