A History of Antioxidants
source:flickr by:Arlo Bates
A History of Antioxidants
Before antioxidant skin care and daily antioxidant supplements, there was the prevention of metal corrosion and rubber vulcanization. Antioxidants have been around long before today’s beauty care products and pomegranate-acai beverages became popular, and they’ll continue to provide benefits after the antioxidant craze dies down. Ever wonder how antioxidants became known as one of the greatest anti-aging tools we have at our fingertips? Here’s a brief history of antioxidants from its first uses to today’s antioxidant-infused world.
Antioxidants were used by engineers in the 19th century to prevent metal from corroding and rubber from vulcanizing, thereby saving millions of dollars in materials every year. However, it wasn’t until the 20th century that the same principals were successfully applied to biotechnology, a feat that would change the course of history.
During the mid-20th century, scientists set out to lengthen the life of foods. Using foods high in unsaturated fat, the scientists applied antioxidants and found that they were able to prevent rancidity. As the scientists continued to study the effects of antioxidants on foods, they discovered that many of the essential nutrients consumed by humans on a daily basis were actually antioxidants! It was then that one man who would later be known as “the father of the free radical theory of aging” set out to study the effects of free radicals and antioxidants on human aging.
In 1954, Denham Harman became a research associate at Donner Laboratory of Medical Physics at UC Berkeley. Harman quickly set out to study the puzzle aging and its causes. After four months of dead-ends, Harman considered the role of free radicals in aging. Like most new ideas or discoveries, the theory was initially scoffed at by Harman’s peers. Regardless, Harman was able to get his findings published in the Journal of Gerontology, and his article is now an often cited piece of science.
Thanks to the engineers of the 19th century, and scientists like Denham Harman, we now know that antioxidants are able to improve our health and quality of life. When used in skin care products, antioxidants are able to prevent visible signs of aging, like fine lines and wrinkles, which indeed helps us appear younger and healthier. Perhaps the Fountain of Youth exists after all, filled to the brim with antioxidants.