You have most certainly already heard about antioxidants.
However, few people truly understand what they are and how they work.
What are antioxidants?
Antioxidants are molecules that fight free radicals in your body.
Free radicals are compounds that can cause damage if their levels become too high in your body. They are linked to premature aging as well as multiple diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
Your body has its own antioxidant defenses to control free radicals.
However, antioxidants are also found in foods, particularly in fruits, vegetables and other whole plant-based foods. Several vitamins, such as vitamins E and C, are effective antioxidants.
Antioxidant preservatives also play a crucial role in food production by extending shelf life.
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How do free radicals work?
Free radicals are constantly forming in your body.
Without antioxidants, free radicals would cause severe damage very quickly, eventually leading to death.
However, free radicals also perform important functions that are essential for health.
For example, your immune cells use free radicals to fight infections.
As a result, your body must maintain a certain balance between free radicals and antioxidants.
When free radicals outnumber antioxidants, this can lead to a condition called oxidative stress.
Prolonged oxidative stress can damage your DNA and other important molecules in your body. Sometimes, this even leads to cell death.
Damage to your DNA increases your risk of cancer, and some scientists have hypothesized that it plays a central role in the aging process.
Several factors related to lifestyle, stress and environment are known to promote excessive free radical formation and oxidative stress, including:
- Air pollution
- Tobacco
- AlcoholAlcohol
- Toxins
- A blood sugar elevated
- A high intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids
- UV exposure, including excessive sun bathing
- Bacterial, fungal, or viral infections
- Excessive consumption of iron, magnesium, copper, or zinc
- Too much or too little oxygen in your body
- Intense and prolonged exercise, which damages tissues
- Excessive consumption of antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E
- Antioxidant deficiency
Prolonged oxidative stress leads to an increased risk of negative health effects, such as cardiovascular disease, cellular aging, and certain types of cancer.
What are the most powerful antioxidants?
1. N-acetylcysteine
Cysteine is a semi-essential amino acid.
It is considered semi-essential because your body can produce it from other amino acids, namely methionine and serine. It becomes essential only when dietary intake of methionine and serine is low.
Cysteine is found in most protein-rich foods, such as chicken, turkey, yogurt, cheese, eggs, sunflower seeds, and legumes.
N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is a supplemental form of cysteine.
Consuming adequate amounts of cysteine and NAC is important for various health reasons, including replenishing the most powerful antioxidant in your body, glutathione. These amino acids also help combat chronic respiratory diseases, fertility, and brain health.
2. Alpha-lipoic acid
The antioxidant properties of alpha-lipoic acid have been associated with several benefits, including lowered blood sugar, reduced inflammation, slowed skin aging, and improved nerve function.
Humans produce alpha-lipoic acid only in small quantities. This is why many turn to certain foods or supplements to optimize their intake.
Animal products such as red meat and organ meats are excellent sources of alpha-lipoic acid, but plant-based foods like broccoli, tomatoes, spinach, and Brussels sprouts also contain it.
That said, supplements can contain up to 1,000 times more alpha-lipoic acid than food sources.
3. Glutathione
Glutathione is an antioxidant produced in cells. It is composed largely of three amino acids: glutamine, glycine, and cysteine.
Glutathione levels in the body can be reduced by a number of factors, including poor diet, environmental toxins, and stress. Its levels also decline with age.
Cell death in the liver can be exacerbated by an antioxidant deficiency, including glutathione. This can lead to fatty liver disease in those who abuse alcohol and in those who do not consume it. Glutathione has been shown to improve protein, enzyme, and bilirubin levels in the blood of people with chronic alcoholic and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
One study reported that glutathione was most effective when administered intravenously at high doses to people with fatty liver disease. Study participants also showed reductions in malondialdehyde, a marker of cellular damage in the liver.
Another small study found that orally administered glutathione had positive effects on people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease following proactive lifestyle changes. In this study, glutathione was provided as a supplement at a dose of 300 milligrams per day for four months.
4. Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin and an essential antioxidant that plays many roles in your body. It promotes wound healing, collagen formation, and immunity.
The RDA for vitamin C is 45 to 120 mg depending on your age and sex.
Vitamin C supplements must respect the RDA and remain well below the established UL - 400 mg for young children, 1,200 mg for children ages 9 to 13, 1,800 mg for adolescents, and 2,000 mg for adults.
Consuming a variety of fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C can also greatly help promote optimal health and wellness.
5. Coenzyme Q10
CoQ10 is a fat-soluble compound similar to a vitamin that appears to have many health benefits.
It is involved in cellular energy production and serves as an antioxidant.
These properties make it useful in preserving cells and preventing and treating certain chronic diseases.
CoQ10 has been shown to help improve heart health and blood sugar regulation, aid in cancer prevention and treatment, and reduce the frequency of migraines.
It could also reduce oxidative damage that leads to muscle fatigue, skin lesions, and brain and lung diseases.
CoQ10 can be found in supplement form, which appears to be well tolerated. Additionally, it is found in certain foods such as animal organs, vegetables, and legumes.
Since CoQ10 production decreases with age, adults of all ages could benefit from it even more.
Whether you consume more CoQ10-rich foods or take supplements, CoQ10 could be beneficial for your health.
6. Zinc
Many people turn to zinc lozenges and supplements when they begin to feel unwell, and for good reason.
Not only is zinc one of the most abundant trace minerals in your body, but it also plays a key role in nearly every aspect of health. For example, zinc is required as a cofactor for more than 300 different enzymes, meaning it is necessary for their proper functioning.
Furthermore, with research showing that this mineral can improve immune function, stabilize blood sugar, and support the health of your skin, eyes, and heart, there are many reasons to ensure you get your daily dose.
7. Vitamin E
Because vitamin E acts as a powerful antioxidant in the body, studies have shown that high-dose supplementation can reduce markers of oxidative stress and strengthen antioxidant defenses in certain populations.
For example, a 2018 study conducted on 54 people with diabetic nephropathy - kidney damage caused by high blood sugar - found that supplementation with 800 IU of vitamin E daily for 12 weeks significantly increased glutathione peroxidase (GPx) levels compared to placebo.
GPx is a group of antioxidant enzymes that protect your cells against oxidative damage.
A 2021 study also showed that daily supplementation with a combination of vitamin E and vitamin C for 8 weeks reduced oxidative stress markers, such as malondialdehyde and ROS, in women with endometriosis.
8. Manganese
Manganese is part of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD), which is arguably one of the most important antioxidants in your body.
Antioxidants help protect against free radicals, which are molecules that can damage cells in your body. Free radicals are thought to contribute to aging, heart disease, and certain cancers.
SOD specifically helps combat the negative effects of free radicals by converting superoxide - one of the most dangerous free radicals - into smaller molecules that won't damage your cells.
In a study of 42 men, researchers concluded that low SOD levels and low overall antioxidant status may play a more important role in heart disease risk than levels of total cholesterol or triglycerides.
Another study showed that SOD was less active in people with rheumatoid arthritis compared to those without this condition.
Therefore, researchers proposed that adequate intake of antioxidant nutrients could reduce free radical generation and improve antioxidant status in people with the disease.
Since manganese plays a role in SOD activity, consuming the mineral may help reduce disease risk.
9. Selenium
Free radicals often get bad press, but they are essential to your health. They serve important functions, including protecting your body against disease.
However, things like smoking, alcohol consumption, and stress can cause excess free radicals. This leads to oxidative stress, which damages healthy cells.
Oxidative stress has been associated with chronic diseases such as heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer, as well as premature aging and stroke risk.
Antioxidants like selenium help reduce oxidative stress by controlling the number of free radicals.
They work by neutralizing excess free radicals and protecting cells from damage caused by oxidative stress.
Conclusion
All these ingredients that make up our antioxidant supplement are essential for your body's optimal health. And how convenient to find them all combined together in a single capsule.
