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This was such a fantastic explanation, I thought many of our visitors could benefit. This informative Q&A came from FITNESSRx magazines' Dec. 2003 issue: What are the benefits of taking antioxidant supplements? Antioxidants are the body's scavengers. They help defend against damage caused by free radicals - unstable molecules that can injure healthy cells and tissues. Every time you breathe, oxygen uptake causes free radical production. Environmental factors, such as pollutants, smoke and certain chemicals also contribute to their formation. If left unchecked, they can wreak havoc on your physique and cause a multitude of ailments including arthritis, cardiovascular disease, dementia and cancer. Here is a short course in how the process works: Your body is made up of billions of cells held together by a series of electronic bonds. These bonds are arranged in pairs so that one electron balances the other. However, in response to various occurrences (such as oxygen consumption) a molecule can lose one of it's electron pairs making it an unstable free radical. The free radical then tries to replace it's lost electron by stealing it from another molecule. This sets up a chain reaction in which the second molecule becomes a free radical and attacks a third molecule, which becomes a free radical and attacks a fourth molecule and so on. To prevent rampant free radical production, your body has a sophisticated internal antioxidant system. Various antioxidant enzymes combine with antioxidants from the foods you eat to keep the free radicals at bay. But when free radical activity reaches a critical level, the system can become overwhelmed, causing extensive damage to cellular tissues. Physical activity actually exacerbates the situation. Due to increased oxygen consumption, free radical production skyrockets during exercise (by as much as 20 fold over resting levels) and the body's internal defense system is unable to cope. If left unchecked, this results in an inflammation of muscle tissue, impairing muscular function and slowing recovery. Although antioxidants can be obtained through dietary means, it is virtually impossible to consume adequate quantities from food sources alone. For example, you'd have to drink eleven glasses of orange juice in order to get the needed amount of vitamin C! And since it has been shown that at low doses (even above RDA guidelines), antioxidants don't provide adequate protection against infirmity, supplementation isn't an option -- it's a necessity. Given that side effects are virtually non-existent at prescribed levels, there is very little risk and great potential reward. While there are dozens of known antioxidants, two are absolutely indispensable; vitamins E and C. These vitamins are partners in defense; they have a synergistic relationship, working together so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual actions. Other antioxidants such as alpha-lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10, selenium and carotenoids, are also extremely important. Although you can buy each of these antioxidants separately, it's generally more cost effective and convenient to buy a single supplement that has all of these ingredients. Look for a respected brand to ensure good quality.
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