Since fruits and vegetables happen to be good sources of nutrients and phytochemicals, this suggested that antioxidant compounds might lower risk against several diseases.
Garlic skin, for example, contains six separate antioxidant compounds, according to Japanese researchers.
Some authors have postulated that tannins play important roles as antioxidant compounds in the scavenging of free radicals.
For normal cellular maintenance, growth, and division, these free radicals must be sufficiently neutralized by antioxidant compounds.
Beginning in the 1990s, experts began to focus on resveratrol, an antioxidant compound in red wine.
Silymarin is an antioxidant compound taken from milk thistle seeds.
Experts suspect the antioxidant compounds found in produce, legumes, and whole grains are largely responsible for holding back the march of time.
Studies suggest that such antioxidant compounds may help combat heart disease, cancer and other health problems.
Vitamin C is the most familiar member of this class of plant-derived antioxidant compounds.
It contains a number of antioxidant compounds, such as cardamonin, pinocembrin, quercetin, and kaempferol.