New details about the antioxidant power of more than a half-dozen
fruits have emerged from recent studies.
Researchers measured the blood (plasma) antioxidant capacity (AOC)
of volunteers shortly after these healthy women, ages 18 to 70, had
eaten blueberries, cherries or dried plums, or had consumed 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 readily
degraded, by our bodies. Though grapes and kiwi both led to noticeable
spikes in plasma AOC, scientists haven't yet pinpointed which
antioxidants were responsible for the increases.
Further research may help establish national guidelines that
indicate the kinds and amounts of antioxidants we need for optimal
health.
Contact: Ronald Prior, USDA-ARS Arkansas Children's Nutrition
Center, Room 512-20B, 1120 Marshall St., Little Rock, AR, 72202. Phone:
501-364-2747. Fax: 501-364-2818. Email: priorronaldl@uams.edu.
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