When you take a swig out of that juice-based beverage or sports nutrition drink, chances are you are gulping down antioxidants as well — and that’s not a bad thing. According to the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), antioxidants are man-made or natural substances that might prevent or delay some types of cell damage.
Alison Raban, certified food scientist with BI Nutraceuticals, Long Beach, Calif., says a number of things are influencing antioxidants' inclusion in the American diet. “The trend influencing the use of antioxidants is the same one affecting other functional ingredients: Consumers want clean labels with simple, close to nature ingredients,” she says. “In addition, consumers want products that are either research backed or have been historically consumed, even for ingredients not normally associated with beverages; a great example of such is turmeric, which is now being featured in beverages for its antioxidant and other health-promoting properties.”