benefits of antioxidants

Antioxidant vitamins have fired quite a number of debates in the medical world. They prevent the free radicals from damaging cells and thus they fight old age and chronic disease. Vitamin C, vitamin E and beta-carotene (a form of vitamin A) are the main antioxidant vitamins. It has become common practice to take some antioxidant supplement to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease and stay young.

Medical precautions!

At the moment, it is not 100% sure that antioxidant vitamins can improve heart conditions. Instead of taking supplements, people are encouraged to eat a balanced diet, getting nutrients from all the major food categories. The amounts of antioxidant vitamins taken from food should be enough to maintain good health. Fruits, whole grains and nuts are better alternatives than supplements!

Other natural antioxidants!

There are other substances and chemicals that the body can use to fight free radicals, and these elements act in combination with vitamins. Normally, the secretion of free radicals increases because of pollution and extensive sun exposure. Zinc, selenium, grape seed extract, gingko biloba and green tea have a powerful antioxidant effect. These substances are either taken from diet or from herbal supplements. Drink one or two cups of green tea per day and have several fruit servings.

Antioxidant vitamins and physical exercises!

When you undergo strenuous physical effort after long rest periods your body is unprepared for the effort, and the system will secret more free radicals than ever at such times. The best way to fight this is not to use more antioxidant vitamins, but to actually make physical exercises part of your lifestyle. Regular exercises boost up the body’s defenses ensuring protection against free radicals. Scientific information is pretty scarce here, meaning that there are no conclusive studies to indicate whether a supplementation of antioxidant vitamins would help an athlete fight against oxidation or not.

Whether to take antioxidant vitamins or not!

More and more medical experts recommend a balanced diet instead of supplements. A decade ago antioxidant vitamins were considered harmless, but their health effect is no longer believed to be that positive. At present, scientists are becoming more aware of the interactions and the potential toxicity of antioxidant supplements. Stick to a balanced lifestyle and try not to over-supplement because that could be detrimental on the long run. As long as we provide the right nutrients, our bodies should work automatically due to the fine tuning of the defense mechanisms.

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