Here are excerpts of an article that is filled with valuable information about the antioxidant properties of foods and SBGA….for the full article and chart go to:
https://www.simplexityhealth.com/associatenew/technical/orac.html
ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity) is an assay that measures the total antioxidant power of foods and dietary supplements. Though several methods are used to measure the antioxidant capacity, ORAC is becoming the standard test method for this measurement.
Antioxidants are intimately involved in the prevention of cellular damage. To prevent free radical damage, the human body utilizes antioxidants that react with free radicals and neutralize them before they can do damage.
The theory that oxidative stress leads to health issues associated with aging and disease is well accepted in the health community. According to the United States Department of Agriculture Research Service, “foods that score high in ORAC may protect cells and their components from oxidative damage. Early findings suggest that eating plenty of high-ORAC fruits and vegetables, such as blueberries and spinach, may help slow the processes associated with aging and disease in both body and brain.” Increasing one’s intake of dietary antioxidants may help maintain an adequate antioxidant status and normal physiological functions.
We have included a graph* comparing the ORAC values of fruits and vegetables with whole Super Blue Green Algae (SBGA). SBGA contains 128 ORAC units per gram. Blueberries are known to be high in antioxidant capacity; however, gram for gram, SBGA has five times more antioxidant capacity than blueberries. One would have to eat five grams of blueberries to equal the antioxidant capacity of one gram of SBGA. Since there are several different chemical species of free radicals, a combination of antioxidants found in whole foods, or a wide variety of antioxidants, may be a better approach than consuming isolated nutrients. According to a 1999 article in Agriculture Research, Guohua Cao, a physician and chemist who developed the ORAC assay, proposed, “It may be that combinations of nutrients found in foods have greater protective effects than each nutrient taken alone.”
What does this mean for blue-green algae eaters? Aphanizomenon flos-aquae contains an impressive ORAC value when compared to many other whole foods. But SBGA has so much more overall nutritional value than many ORAC-rated foods—it is not only a high ORAC rating, but also the combination of a wide variety of essential nutrients in one source that makes SBGA such an extraordinary dietary supplement for health-conscious consumers.
For the full article and chart go to: https://www.simplexityhealth.com/associatenew/technical/orac.html
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