The antioxidant power of natural pigments
It is widely known that fruits and vegetables are healthy. But did you know that the colors in fruits and vegetables are essential too? These colors come from a substance called pigments. More and more articles have been published about the health benefits of these pigments lately. First, it is important to explain exactly what these pigments are and why they can be so good for us.
Pigment
A pigment is a biological dye that is present in nature. These include pigment groups, such as: carotene, chlorophyll, and carotenoids. These pigments give the beautiful diverse colors to plants and animals.
Did you know that the Latin word pigmentum means ‘paint’?
These pigments make carrots orange and broccoli green for example. They owe their color to their ability to absorb colors. Each type of pigment captures different parts of the (sun)light, resulting in a wide variety of colours. For animals, the function of pigments is to camouflage for protection, and in plants the main function of pigments is photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis is the conversion of sunlight into nutrients (such as glucose) and oxygen.
Our pigments
Did you know that our body is also rich in pigments? They provide color to eyes, hair, and skin. All these organs and tissues are continuously exposed to light and absorb it. Unfortunately, our bodies cannot produce enough of these pigments on their own. We are therefore dependent on our diet for an adequate intake of pigments.
Are you getting enough natural pigments?
Pigments in Marine Phytoplankton
Marine Phytoplankton owes its green color to pigments that ensure that sunlight is converted into nutritious nutrients (including numerous vitamins and minerals) for self-growth and to produce oxygen.
Did you know that according to NASA, the pigments from algae are responsible for 70% of the oxygen production?
Pigments are more than just color
To safely convert sunlight into various nutrients, it is necessary that there is protection against the harmful UV radiation of the sunlight and the harmful substances that are created during the processes. During these processes, harmful oxygen radicals are created. Oxygen radicals are unstable molecules that can cause damage to cells. These also occur continuously in our body and can cause enormous damage and play a major role in various disorders. It is important that we protect ourselves as well as possible against these oxygen radicals.
Pigments are responsible for this protection, giving their antioxidant effect. They are therefore able to capture harmful oxygen radicals, allowing the biological processes in plants and animals to run as optimally as possible, without causing too much cell damage.
Pigments are the most powerful antioxidants
For our body, this means that these pigments can also provide an antioxidant effect: during various metabolic processes in the body, harmful oxygen radicals are thus formed. When these are scavenged by these pigments, the cells can function better, and our biological processes can run more smoothly. In practical terms, this means that the digestion becomes better, the skin shows less inflammation (irritation) and that even athletic performance improves significantly when we add antioxidants to our daily routine.
Numerous functions
In addition to being the most powerful antioxidants, pigments also perform many other functions, including their anti-inflammatory function. They are therefore increasingly used in therapies to support our immune system.
Discover it for yourself
Do you want to consume many pigments, also called antioxidants, daily in an easy way? Then Marine Phytoplankton is ideal for you. Try it now and click on the link below. Thanks for reading!
