Antioxidants offer a wealth of health benefits from reversing the process of biological ageing, reducing your risk of developing chronic disease as well as enhancing your levels of general health and wellbeing.
Over the past 40 years, various studies have revealed that many degenerative diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, cataracts and arthritis arise because of a deficiency in antioxidants.
So, what are these antioxidants? They are substances that protect the body against the harmful and damaging effects of chemicals known as free radicals. Free radicals are molecules produced when your body breaks down food or when you’re exposed to tobacco smoke, pollution or radiation. Essentially, antioxidants neutralise free radicals.
Why are they important? The highly unstable and destructive chemicals (free radicals) that get produced in our bodies and wreak havoc by damaging cellular DNA (our genetic material), destroying cells and corroding cellular membranes. This sort of damage is the number one cause of ageing and a significant contributor to many diseases. Free radicals enter our bodies through breathing in polluted air and cigarette smoke and are generated during prolonged stress or illness and through every metabolic reaction involving oxygen. When oxygen molecules become unstable, they seek to stabilise by reacting with other chemicals. If left unchecked, this leads to inflammation and arterial wall damage – the precursors of disease and premature ageing. Antioxidants can neutralise free radicals and prevent this damage from taking place. The key to good health, disease prevention and anti-ageing is therefore to make sure that our antioxidant levels are consistently high enough to neutralise the free radicals within our bodies.
Where do I get these antioxidants? The body’s main antioxidants are Vitamins A, C and E and Beta-Carotene the precursor of Vitamin A, as well as the likes of Glutathione, Lipoic Acid and Co-Enzyme Q10, all of which are found in the food that we eat. The best way to increase your antioxidant intake is by eating an antioxidant rich diet. Food stuffs such as such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, kale, red cabbage and broccoli, as well as nuts and grains – and even dark chocolate! As a general rule of thumb, you should aim to eat at least 5 to 9 portions of vegetables and fruit a day and try and mix them up, so you don’t keep eating the same foods every day. Variety and consistency in eating those 5-9 portions is the key! However, in most cases people find this unrealistic and look to supplementation to support their diet.
What supplements will help me boost antioxidants in my diet? There are number of supplements that can help either by choosing an antioxidant supplement that combines a number of antioxidant ingredients or taking a combination of supplements depending on your needs or preference. However, combinations are believed to be best to create ‘synergy’ (where the ingredients support and enhance each other’s effectiveness) which makes the combination option much more powerful than individual antioxidant nutrients. Research has indicated that taking an antioxidant in isolation can actually do more harm than good. Often an isolated antioxidant, becomes overwhelmed, damaged and puts stress on the body too. But in the presence of other antioxidants, they recycle one another and prevent this from happening.
You can see our full range here. Some option to consider are: -
Selenium + Vitamins A, C and E - Selenium enhances the activity of Vitamin E. This trace mineral that helps protect your body from attack by free radicals we've combined it with high strength Vitamins A, C and E for maximum antioxidant effect.
Pomegranate 6000mg This natural antioxidant is a great source of natural fibre, iron and vitamins A, C and E.
Anti-Ageing Complex - Packed with Acetyl L-Carnitine and Alpha Lipoic Acid, two natural substances that help as a shield against time.
Vitamin E Is one of the most potent antioxidants and is of particular significance in slowing down the ageing process and preventing disease. This is a fat-soluble nutrient found in many foods such as green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds and vegetable oils but can be easily destroyed during the cooking process.
Co-Enzyme Q10 100mg - This antioxidant plays a vital role in converting food into energy. All body cells produce this substance, but as you get older the level of production can drop, leaving you feeling fatigued.
