Pick up any health magazine and you are likely to see articles promoting the health benefits of antioxidant supplements such as vitamins C and E. There are hundreds or thousands of such beneficial antioxidant substances, and you just can’t take all of them. We receive frequent emails asking us which ones to take and in what dosages. Keep in mind that as of yet there is no definitive proof that supplementation with antioxidants will help you live longer. Such long term studies are not yet available, and it is possible that taking too many such pills can be counterproductive. However, there is enough promising evidence to convince me that they could be of benefit when used wisely and could potentially reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, and other chronic conditions.
Food and Diet First, Before Pills
Make sure you obtain the bulk of your antioxidants through fresh foods. Carotenoids, flavonoids, and many important polyphenols can be easily obtained through fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, along with raw nuts and seeds. If you do wish to take additional supplements, I recommend a multi-mineral, multi-vitamin pill that contains small amounts of many antioxidants as opposed to large amounts of just one or two. MultiVit Rx offers such a good mix. Another option is have three or four potent antioxidant products on your kitchen counter (such as alpha lipoic acid, carnosine, acetylcysteine and acetylcarnitine) and alternate their use so you get the benefits from the different antioxidants since they each work in various ways in the body and brain to protect cells from harm. Read more about antioxidants and dosage recommendations.