Americans get antioxidants - those desirable enzymes that fight off chemicals in your body that cause infection - most often not from a daily glass of wine or grape juice. They get it from coffee, new research concludes. And coffee leads all other foods and drinks by a huge margin.
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The University of Scranton study was presented on August 28 at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Washington, DC.
Antioxidants are vitamins and minerals that help prevent oxidation, a process that can cause damage to cells and may contribute to ageing. The compounds may help boost immune function and possibly cut your risk of infection, heart disease and cancer, according to the American Dietetic Association.
The results showed that the average American received more than four times the amount of antioxidants from coffee daily than from black tea, which was second on the list. Bananas, dry beans and corn were the top three foods on the list.
Antioxidant-rich foods
The study also showed that other foods - dates, cranberries and red grapes - contain more antioxidants than coffee, but those foods aren't consumed in anywhere near the quantities as coffee.
The study was partially funded by the American Cocoa Research Institute. – (HealthDayNews)
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