Antioxidant vitamins have fired quite a number of debates in the medical world. They have the reputation of fighting old age by preventing cellular decay associated with the release of free radicals. Antioxidant vitamins include beta carotene or a form of vitamin A, vitamin E and vitamin C. Many people are now taking some antioxidant supplement either to stay in good shape and maintain youth or to fight cardio-vascular disease.

Medical precautions!

At the moment, it is not 100% sure that antioxidant vitamins can improve heart conditions. Specialists’ recommendation is for people to eat a balanced diet with food from all the basic food groups. Antioxidant vitamins are normally taken from food and they are enough to keep you healthy. Better consume nuts, whole grains and fruits instead of supplements!

Other natural antioxidants!

Besides vitamin A, E and C, the body uses other substances and chemicals to fight the formation of the free radicals. It is good to know that free radicals appear not only as by-products of cellular activity but are also released because of sun exposure and pollution. Green tea, gingko biloba, grape seed extract, zinc and selenium have a powerful antioxidant action. Some of these are available in the form of herbal supplements, while the others can be taken directly from food. Drink one or two cups of green tea per day and have several fruit servings.

Antioxidant vitamins and physical exercises!

Very intense physical activity after long rest periods do more harm than good because they accelerate the release of free radicals and their damage rate. 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 are known to enhance the body’s defenses against the action of 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 no one knows how things really stand any more. At present, scientists are becoming more aware of the interactions and the potential toxicity of antioxidant supplements. Live a healthy balanced life and try not to over-supplement because that could do more harm than good. Our bodies are too finely tuned, and the defense mechanisms should work automatically as long as we provide the right nutrients!