Betacarotene

Antioxidants, as the nation's best-known alleged insider trader might say, are a good thing. In the long term, they help people avoid our top three killers--heart disease, cancer and stroke--all the while reducing the severity of delayed-onset muscle soreness in the present and osteoarthritis down the road.

Fruits and vegetables are loaded with key antioxidants: vitamins A, C and E; other vitamins in the A family, notably betacarotene; and a few important minerals, including selenium and zinc.

But perhaps you're burned out on broccoli, sick of strawberry smoothies, and hankering for a new source of antioxidants. There's a great one hiding in plain sight in your own kitchen.

A recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that common culinary herbs and spices pack a considerably healthy punch. Researchers tested the anti-oxidant activity of more than three dozen culinary and medicinal herbs. Ounce for ounce, many had more power than fruits and vegetables. Three types of oregano--Mexican, Italian and Greek--showed greater antioxidant activity than vitamin E. Other high scorers were bay, dill, coriander, thyme and rosemary.

Of course, most people use culinary herbs sparingly, so even the ones highest in antioxidants won't supply as much as you'd get from a green salad or a bowl of minestrone. But every little bit helps, says former USDA herbalist James Duke, Ph.D., author of The Green Pharmacy. Additionally, the herbs will help you put a little flavor and zip into otherwise bland foods.

MULTIPLE BENEFITS

In the ancient world, herbs were valued as much for food preservation as they were for flavor. Duke explains: "Spoilage occurs when microorganisms attack the food and oxidize it, causing oxidative damage. Culinary herbs contain antimicrobial compounds that help stop microorganisms, and antioxidants that help prevent oxidation." In fact, in the USDA study, the oregano tested had antioxidant strength comparable to BHA, the standard chemical food preservative.

All the herbs in your spice rack have at least some antioxidant action, Duke says. If your idea of a home-cooked meal is scrambling egg whites or steaming rice, you can still use herbs to make the meal more beneficial and flavorful. Heat up some salsa, add oregano and cumin, and pour it over those eggs. Presto! Quick, healthier huevos rancheros. Or sprinkle your rice with oregano, rosemary, basil, thyme, parsley and sage. With every bite you'll be pumping valuable antioxidants into your bloodstream, and glycogen into your muscles.

HIDE THE SALT

Another advantage: When you reach for herbs and spices, you're much less likely to grab the sodium chloride, a.k.a. salt. The more sodium you consume, the more water your body retains and the more fluid circulates in your blood vessels. That extra fluid raises blood pressure, which increases risks of heart attack and stroke. According to a seven-year study at Tulane University, a low-sodium diet can reduce the risk of hypertension by 35 percent. Additionally, if you hold the water subcutaneously, it'll obscure the muscle detail you wish to display.

A whopping three-quarters of dietary sodium comes not from the salt shaker, but from what lies hidden in fast food, canned soups, TV dinners and processed snacks--the staple menu of the Barcalounger set. Limit your consumption of these items; and instead of salting your food, add herbs. "Herbs can help replace salt without making foods taste bland," says Linda White, M.D., co-author of The Herbal Drugstore. "My husband has had borderline high blood pressure since his teens, so I never use salt, just lots of herbs."

There's no question about it. Culinary herbs make food taste better, replace salt, and boost your blood levels of antioxidants. Use more herbs. It's sage advice.

THE DOWNSIDE OF BREATHING AND THE IMPORTANCE OF ANTIOXIDANTS

Oxygen is necessary for life. But oxygen also has a liability, says Melvyn Werbach, M.D., an assistant clinical professor at the UCLA School of Medicine and author of Nutritional Influences on Illness. Metabolic processes and many things we ingest or inhale (such as air) create chemically unstable "oxygen radicals," electrically charged ions that are shy some electrons. As oxygen radicals circulate in the bloodstream, they regain chemical stability by snatching electrons from the molecules of your tissues, a process called "oxidative damage."

A young, healthy body can repair most oxidative damage. But over time, the repair mechanisms falter or become overwhelmed by radical-formers such as smoking and a high-fat diet. When that happens, oxidative damage can play havoc with DNA and lead to cancer. It can also damage the linings of the arteries, eventually leading to heart disease and stroke. Antioxidants graciously donate electrons to oxygen radicals, stabilizing them before they can cause tissue damage. According to recent studies, if you maintain high blood levels of antioxidants, your risks of cancer, heart disease and stroke can drop by as much as 50 percent, 20 percent and 59 percent, respectively--phenomenal figures, to say the least.

Research also suggests that oxidative damage plays a role in delayed-onset muscle soreness caused by resistance training and in the severity of joint pain brought on by osteoarthritis. Consuming more antioxidants may help you reduce the discomfort of these conditions.

Oregano and other herbs provide anti-oxidants that neutralize inflammatory free radicals released during weight training.

San Francisco medical writer Michael Castleman is the author of The New Healing Herbs.

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