Run Britain – News – A kiwi a day keeps free radicals at bay!

Kiwis are one of the best fruits you can eat to help you fight disease, according to new research and gold kiwi fruit came top for antioxidant content, followed by the green variety, according to the research at Teikyo University, Tokyo.

In the trial, volunteers ate three kiwis a day then their urine was then tested for the level of antioxidants.

Antioxidants are intimately involved in the prevention of cellular damage, which is the common pathway for cancer, aging, and a variety of diseases.

Endurance running can increase oxygen utilisation from 10 to 20 times over the resting state. This greatly increases the generation of free radicals, prompting concern about enhanced damage to muscles and other tissues. Does this mean you need to take extra antioxidants?

If the generation of free radicals exceeds your antioxidant defences you would expect to see more of these by-products. Research has been done on runners under a variety of conditions and several interesting concepts have emerged from the studies.

It turns out that regular physical exercise enhances the antioxidant defence system and protects against exercise induced free radical damage. The human body is great at adapting to the demands of exercise. However, these changes occur slowly over time as do other adaptations to exercise. Beware the 'weekend warrior'. Intense exercise in untrained people overwhelms defences resulting in increased free radical damage. If you are sedentary during the week and then take on vigorous exercise during the weekend you may be doing more harm than good. It's time to start exercising more consistently and get a few kiwis down your neck!

 Run Britain – News

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