subject: Fight Free Radicals And More With The Carotene Phytofluene [print this page] Phytofluene is a carotene and phytonutrient (non-essential, health boosting chemical compounds that can be found in plant based food). It can be sourced from orange and red coloured vegetables. In terms of health benefits, phytofluene is a powerful antioxidant and may also have further health boosting properties in humans. In this article I will be taking a deeper look at phytofluene and its potential health benefits.
1) HEALTH BENEFITS:
As mentioned above, phytofluene is a powerful antioxidant that can protect your body's cells from dangerous free radicals. Free radicals are harmful by-products that get released into your body's cells during oxygen based reactions. Research suggests that these nasty substances can increase your risk of contracting cancer (a disease where your body's cells start to grow in a rapid, out of control way), increase your risk of contracting diabetes (a disease where your blood glucose levels become dangerously high), accelerate the ageing process and weaken your immune system.
In addition to this, early studies suggest that there may be further phytofluene benefits which include reducing unnecessary inflammation in the body and also protecting the skin cells from ultraviolet (UV) rays (invisible rays of energy from the sun that can damage your skin cells and in the worst cases cause skin cancer). However, more evidence is needed before these provisional health benefits can be confirmed.
2) FOOD SOURCES:
As I mentioned at the start of this article, orange and red coloured fruits and vegetables are the best source of phytofluene. Some of the best food sources include oranges, star fruits, sweet potatoes and tomatoes. However, the exact amount of phytofluene they contain is not known.
3) SUMMARY:
Whilst the research on phytofluene is still in the very early stages, you should definitely be including this carotene in your diet. For starters, it is a powerful antioxidant and can keep your cells safe from the harmful effects of free radicals. Additionally, foods that contain high levels of phytofluene are also rich in many other essential nutrients.
For example, tomatoes are a brilliant source of vitamin C (which is another powerful antioxidant that helps your body create the connective tissue collagen, supports your immune system and much more), vitamin A (which supports healthy vision and night vision), vitamin K (which helps the blood to clot) and more. By filling up on these phytofluene rich foods you also benefit from all the other nutrients they contain and give your health a real boost.
So if your plate is lacking a bit of colour, get down to the grocery store, pick up some orange and red coloured fruits or vegetables and start taking advantage of all these phytofluene benefits.
