Anthocyanins, the antioxidants responsible for giving blueberries their color,
protect cells from the
damaging effects of
oxidation, which is often linked to chronic conditions like heart disease and cancer.
Similar to the physical and cellular burn of exercise that creates some oxidizing free radicals, the «stress»
from cruciferous vegetables stimulates our mitochondria to produce homemade antioxidants to counterbalance the
oxidation and
protect our vital DNA.28 Even cancer
cells have caught on to this central role of our mitochondria — the bastards can amplify their levels of some of these same pathways — further stressing their importance for survival.25 However, our
cells still seem to have the upper hand, as multiple studies show that the organosulfur chemicals in many of these anticancer vegetables can severely stress cancer
cells, leading to oxidative
damage, and ultimately, death.29
Scutellaria lateriflora is a powerful antioxidant that appears to
protect red blood
cells from free radical
damage more effectively than vitamin E, and it also shows some promise in preventing the
oxidation of blood fats.