Mother Nature has generously provided the plant world, with thousands of bioactive chemicals, in turn providing protection for the health and ensure the regeneration of the species. In each plant are edible dozens, if not hundreds, of phytochemicals with health benefits that transfer through our diet.

A simple way to understand what phytochemicals do is understand why plants have colors in the first place. Colorful chemicals can be described as pigments into two mane classes: phenol and carotenoids.
Phenolic pigments
Plant blue, purple, red and black belong to the class called phenolic pigments (or polyphenols), which includes several thousand individual chemicals throughout the plant world.

Although phenolic can be grouped into as many as 11 subclasses, each with hundreds of chemicals, the best known in the public media are flavonoids found in edible plants such as berries colors. A major subgroup that is common flavonoids in dark berry is the anthocyanin (anthos = flower, cyanin = blue, Greek). Anthocyanins give the brightest color to plants, including that of blueberries, blackberries black, cherry red or rose petals, purple and prunes, and eggplant.

The pigments present two general functions to plants. Through its smell, taste and color, pigments serve to attract pollinators and ensure continuation of the species. Second, act as a reservoir of defense protective acid protection against bacteria, viruses, fungi and other pests. This category includes the necessary functions of antioxidants to neutralize the effects of constant exposure to sunlight, ultraviolet radiation and free radical production during photosynthesis.

After digestion eating pigmented foods such as berries, phenolic distributed throughout the body water compartments. This includes inside cells oxidative reactions that are occurring per second second lifetime. Phenolics (and below carotenoids) are the antioxidants that neutralize the oxidation reactions of free radicals that can damage cellular structures and contribute to disease and aging.

In short, ponies can increase their defenses against the disease by eating colorful plants. Preliminary tests of this benefit comes from a number of research studies in animals and ponies in a limited number of clinical trials. Theses studies show positive results phenolics against:

• Cancer

• Cardiovascular Disease

• Thrombosis (blood clots)

• Inflammation

• Diabetes
Phenolic appearing in the public media in recent years include:
• proanthocyanidins (anticancer effect from grape seeds)

• resveratrol (protective effect against cardiovascular disease from dark red grapes and wine)

• Anthocyanins (protection against brain damage after a stroke from cranberries)

• chlorogenic acid (reducing high blood pressure from the strawberries)

• Ferulic acid (cancer preventing black raspberries)
Carotenoids
In plants that are red, orange, yellow or green are a small family of pigments called carotenoids. These are the pigments associated with the bright colors of corn, carrots, squash, tomatoes and spinach. Although green plants have a predominance of chlorophyll - the green pigment - carotenoids are always present (though masked by chlorophyll). An example of this effect occurs in spinach. Although it is a dark green vegetable, spinach contains high levels of a yellow carotenoid called lutein.

Other carotenoids now seen in consumer products like vitamins and supplements include:

• Beta-carotene

• Lycopene

• The zeaxcontrana ("Zee-un-zan-thin")
Carotenoids have two health characteristics of value to us. First, they tend to dissolve the lipids in the best and thus are concentrated in the fatty parts of pony cells (such as membranes and nuclear envelopes nerve sheaths near the essential functions of these components of the cell). Secondly, carotenoids usually have numerous double bonds between carbon atoms, an extremely effective electron source necessary in the processes of antioxidant.

Just for that reason, the carotenoids are considered more powerful phenolic antioxidants in the diet. With cell carotenoids and phenolic lipids in cell water, phytochemicals colorful vegetable diet act in concert to protect our bodies from damage caused by oxygen radicals and nitrogen species.

In the course of basic research in animals, carotenoids have been linked to major health benefits, including:
• eye diseases

• Cardiovascular disease

• Cancer

• Psoriasis

• Inflammation

• Viral infections

Summary of health benefits: Enrich your diet and phenolic content of carotenoids by eating a variety of the most brilliant color of vegetables and fruits!

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