Antioxidants - What are They? Articles | Supplements

By: J.Morgan

There are many different types of vitamins that have different reactions and purposes within the body. One type that many people take as a supplement for better health is antioxidant vitamins. Antioxidants are compounds in the body that aid in the elimination of free-radicals and their formation. Free-radicals form in our body from exposure to pollution, sunlight and natural cell metabolism. However, when these free-radicals are not removed from the body, they act as a poison and can cause many health complications. Anti-oxidants have the important job of removing these free-radicals to help us prevent illness.

There are certain factors within our lives that can help reduce or increase the growth of free-radicals in the body. For instance, smoking, stress, high risk professions and excessive alcohol consumption help contribute to the free-radicals in our body. It is important that we have anti-oxidants to counter-act these effects, especially if your lifestyle puts you at higher risk.

Some excellent examples of anti-oxidants are:

Vitamin E
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Selenium
Zinc
Green Tea
Grape seed extract
Ginkgo biloba

Some of these can show up naturally in the foods we eat but if your diet is lacking or you have high risk conditions as mentioned above that require you to need more anti-oxidants, you may need to take vitamins or supplements to help. These can all be purchased at your local health store and most at local pharmacies. Always ask your doctor before starting any vitamin or supplement regime, especially if you are currently taking prescription medication or being treated for a health or medical condition. Your supplements could possibly have an adverse reaction to your current medication or treatment plan.

There are also many anti-oxidant combination vitamins and supplements on the market. Some of these include Xtra Antioxidants, DNA Immune, Proanthenols Antioxidant consisting OPC, Daily BioBasics and Vitamin C Formula. There are also many other brands available and the most important thing to remember is to do your research. Some multiple supplements may have more than you actually need to meet your anti-oxidant needs. Also be cautious of anyone promising you a tailored antioxidant vitamin just for you or any supplement that is ridiculously priced. No matter how good a vitamin or supplement is, there is simply no reason to have it overpriced.

The more you learn about anti-oxidant vitamins and how they can help you, the better equipped you will be to take supplements that can increase your quality of life. However, this knowledge can also prevent you from misusing your supplement and creating more health problems for yourself.