- Title: Comparison of Antioxidant Potency of Commonly Consumed Polyphenol-Rich Beverages in the United States. Authors probably aim to challenge the popular assumption of benefits of consumption of polyphenol-rich beverages based on their high antioxidant content.
- Intended audience: The primary audience is the medical professionals who deal with dietology. However, anybody who is interested in the concrete proof of the efficiency of polyphenol-rich beverages can find this article useful.
- Writer background: All authors are qualified in the fields relevant to the topic and are either medical professionals or specialists in human nutrition.
- Writer’s angle: While both the high antioxidant contents of certain products and the benefits of antioxidants for protection from oxygen radicals and inflammation reduction are well-established facts, the correlation between them is still not confirmed scientifically, despite the claims in the popular media. Thus, the issue is arguable and is currently debated.
The one-sentence summary
Seeram, Aviram, Zhang, Henning, Feng, Dreher, & Heber (2008) study the activity of antioxidants in several popular polyphenol-rich beverage products, including the pomegranate juice to determine if the claim of these juices positive health effects are substantiated by measuring the antioxidant potency in addition to the initial capacity.
The one-paragraph summary
As the general public is already well aware of the positive effects of antioxidants in the treatment of several ailments, they are often presented as the main benefit in the marketing campaigns of juices, including the pomegranate juice (PJ), produced from the Wonderful variety of Punica granatum fruits (Seeram et al., 2008). Nevertheless, the research that supports these claims often studies the in vitro activity, which does not necessarily mean the benefits will be observed in vivo.
Thus, the authors conduct a comprehensive research that will establish the presence of such correlation by determining the antioxidant potency of a PJ as well as several more available polyphenol-rich beverages.
The multiple-paragraph summary
The research conducted by Seeram et al. consists of four tests: Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), total oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), free radical scavenging capacity by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) (2008, p. 1415). All the tests are properly documented and controlled to exclude the possible bias. An additional test of antioxidant functionality, and the evaluation of total polyphenol content. The test results were then compared by assigning each one its weight and calculating the index.
To evaluate the actual benefit of the beverage in question (PJ), other popular beverages were included, such as several types of teas, the red wine, and numerous widely available juices: apple juice, blueberry juice, cranberry juice, orange juice, and others (Seeram et al., 2008, p. 1417). Each type was represented by several brands (three in most cases) to ensure the diversity of results.
The results of the test showed that, according to the initial hypothesis, the antioxidant content does not always correspond to the antioxidant potency. However, the results also confirmed the superiority of PJ to other tested beverages of up to 20 percent (Seeram et al., 2008, p. 1420). While, according to authors, this result does not directly represent the in vivo biological activity, it illustrates the benefit to human health more accurately than the often cited in vitro tests. The authors warn that the research is inconclusive in terms of the actual validity of the market claims and only focuses on the possibility of the effect on human health, not the benefit, which should be studied further.
Your reaction
The paper is properly structured, supplied with evidence, and is clearly written, which contributes to my trust in the validity of the research. The authors are also clear about their intentions and limitations to their study, which excludes possible misinterpretations, common in the field of fad diets. Most importantly, it points at inconsistencies in the current view and tries to close the gap in the perception of the antioxidant concept. The article meets the needs of its primary audience – medical specialists. At the same time, the conclusion is structured in a way that may mislead the less qualified reader, who will probably attribute the confirmation of PJ to its healing properties.
References
Seeram, N. P., Aviram, M., Zhang, Y., Henning, S. M., Feng, L., Dreher, M., & Heber, D. (2008). Comparison of antioxidant potency of commonly consumed polyphenol-rich beverages in the United States. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 56(4), 1415-1422.