NUTR 1010 Lecture Notes - Lecture 24: Phospholipid, Bone Pain, Low-Density Lipoprotein
Document Summary
Should be eaten regularly: most animals make their own vitamin c out of glucose, only monkeys, apes (humans are apes), guinea pigs and fruit bats can"t, we don"t have the right enzyme to do it! Vitamin c is the major water soluble antioxidant! It is water soluble, so it mostly works in the blood stream. It donates its electrons to free radicals. A product of metabolism: we need oxygen to burn energy. This oxygen sometimes forms free radicals during the process of energy metabolism. If they"re oxidized they don"t work in the same way anymore! Oxidative stress and disease: more oxidation increases risk for: Antioxidants are chemicals that decrease the adverse effects of free radicals by: Donating their electrons (without creating more free radicals) Neutralize free radicals into less harmful substances. Preparation matters: oxygen can destroy vitamin c. Raw, fresh vegetables and fruit have the most. Boiling in water, vitamin c dissolves in the water.