IPB Student Blends Special Drinks to Prevent Premature Ageing
Afrillia Yenita, student of the Department of Community Nutrition, Faculty of Human Ecology of Bogor Agricultural University (FEMA IPB), won the national essay competition organized by Brawijaya University. The "Ormagika Nutrition Education and Scientific Competition (ONESCO) 2016" competition was implemented in October 2016. In this competition, the student who was born in Riau who is familiarly called Yeni, succeeded to win the 1st winner with his essay on "Minuman Teh Hijau (Camellia Sinensis) Campur Ekstrak Jahe (Zingiber Officinale) sebagai Minuman Fungsional Alami Mencegah Penuaan Dini (Premature Aging) = Green Tea (Camellia Sinensis) Mixed up with Ginger Extract (Zingiber Officinale) as a Functional Wellness Beverages to Prevent Premature Aging".
In her article, Yeni explained on the benefits of consuming green tea drink mixed up with ginger extract. Her interest on functional food theories that contain antioxidants as a deterrent in the appearance of premature aging in her course, encouraged Yeni to express her ideas on functional drinks into an article. Yeni's thought on expressing her ideas was finally channelized into the national competition she participated. Her intensive reading habits on various articles published by faculty members as well as scientists of IPB that focus on antioxidants finally gave ideas to write an article. She decided to write an article on green tea and ginger extract as a preventative of premature aging, due to the facts that both beverages contain many antioxidant substances.
"In humans, ageing represents the accumulation of changes in a human being over time, encompassing physical, psychological, and social changes. Ageing is a certainty, so we can’t decide not to do it. It’s happening as we speak. And we can’t do anything about it," says Yeni. Premature aging occurs when the aging process of the skin does not match the age or faster than the age should be. Everyone certainly does not want to look older than his age. Various efforts have been done by many people to keep their skin look younger, such as taking herbal beauty medicines, using a variety of cosmetics, even to some who use beauty implants. In fact, many unfavorable side effects can be caused by consuming it.
The process of premature aging is often caused by free radicals trapped in the body. Free radicals and other ROS are derived either from normal essential metabolic processes in the human body or from external sources such as exposure to X-rays, ozone, cigarette smoking, air pollutants, and industrial chemicals. Free radical formation occurs continuously in the cells as a consequence of both enzymatic and nonenzymatic reactions. Enzymatic reactions, which serve as source of free radicals, include those involved in the respiratory chain, in phagocytosis, in prostaglandin synthesis, and in the cytochrome P-450 system. Free radicals attack important macromolecules leading to cell damage and homeostatic disruption. However, these free radicals can be resisted and destroyed by 'antioxidant' molecules. Many people have heard that foods with antioxidants protect us from free radical damage, which is responsible for many of the effects of aging on both the body and mind. The role of antioxidants in preventing damage and premature aging of the body's cells is very important.
Antioxidants can be obtained from foodstuffs, such as vitamin E, vitamin C, α-carotene, and flavonoid compounds obtained from plants. There is a wide variety of food or food as a good source of antioxidants in nature, such as vegetables and fruits. In addition to fruits and vegetables, green tea and ginger are also natural antioxidants that are easily obtained by the community. As already known, tea in the world. Green Tea Contains Bioactive Compounds That Improve Health. Many of the bioactive compounds in the tea leaves do make it into the final drink, which contains large amounts of important nutrients. While it is usually served with milk, it is not uncommon to drink it black or with lemon, with sugar being a popular addition. Based on existing studies, green tea is very good in preventing cancer, osteoporosis, cardiovascular, atherosclerosis, cure kidney disease, boost immunity, as an antioxidant, prevent premature aging, eliminate bad breath, and as a slimming drug. As is well known in general, ginger is also a plant that is rich in benefits. Thus, a blend of drinks from green tea and ginger extract will be a very useful beverage in maintaining health if consumed regularly. (Wied)
