Antioxidant Supplements

About Antioxidant Supplements

Antioxidants are essential nutrients for health maintenance and chronic disease prevention. There are two main sources of antioxidants that are needed to maintain a healthy metabolism and physical structure. These are the antioxidants we synthesize within our body (endogenous), such as glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase, and antioxidants we ingest through food or supplements (exogenous), respectively. The enzymatic antioxidants that the human body synthesizes also requires certain cofactor nutrients in order to carry out their task of neutralising free-radicals. An example of this is the antioxidant enzyme called superoxide dismutase, which requires zinc, copper and manganese to function.

Antioxidants reduce the burden of oxidative stress in the body, which if left unchecked can lead to damaged proteins, lipids and DNA, contributing to chronic disease and perhaps even speeding up the aging process. Antioxidants are found in abundance in common foods. The antioxidant potency of a food or product can be assessed by the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). Some of the highest foods on the ORAC scale are dark chocolate, pecan nuts and elderberries. Two to three squares of dark chocolate (at least 85% Cocoa) each day provides excellent antioxidant support and is a great source of minerals, such as magnesium.

Antioxidant rich foods help to reduce the burden of free-radicals, protecting the cells of our body and maintaining health. A quality diet contains a broad range of antioxidant-rich foods. It is also a good idea to include a range of different coloured foods in the diet, as different phytochemicals offer different colours with differing effects in the body. Slecting from a broad range of different coloured fruits and vegetables ensures you get a nice range of natural antioxidant compounds. And when it comes to antioxidants, variety and synergy are key.

Some antioxidants have close relationships within the body, in that they support the regeneration of each other. This is one reason why taking a broad range of antioxidants, rather than one single antioxidant in high doses, is a good idea. A classic example of this is the regeneration of glutathione sulfhydryl, which essentially requires Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Lipoic Acid. Therefore, if we were to supplement with a lot of glutathione without support from these other antioxidants, we will end up with a lot of oxidised glutathione, which is basically glutathione that has "done its job". And too much oxidised glutathione may not be good for our health either. 

There is a natural synergism inherent within the biochemistry of the body, which means the sum of two can sometimes be greater than the total of them separately. For example, 1 + 1 (antioxidants taken individually) = 3 (benefit when taken together). This sum won’t cut it for math class, but for nutritional biochemistry it's an absolute winner. A little bit of synergism can go a long way when it comes to antioxidants. Some other great sources of antioxidants are green tea, olive leaf extract, quercetin (a bioflavonoid), astaxanthin (found in krill oil) and Ubiquinol.