The truth behind Taking Antioxidant Supplements
Antioxidants are known to fight free radicals that circulate in your bloodstream caused by stress, an unhealthy environment, and pressure. These free radicals can then damage cells and increase the risk of contracting various health conditions, such as heart disease and cancer. In short, they are popular for preventing diseases and even fighting signs of aging.
While antioxidants are considered as an aid in keeping you healthy and boosting your overall well-being, there can be various myths that surround them. In this article, we rounded up some of the most important facts you need to know about them so that you can make an informed decision before taking antioxidant supplements.
Choosing the best antioxidant supplement for your body is not an easy task. The first thing you need to ask yourself before buying a supplement is “what you need from that supplement.”
We take a supplement to increase the nutrients in our body and to provide for a deficiency. If a person has been missing on a proper and healthy diet, then supplements will help them. If you are running low on minerals or vitamins, then you may require supplements to fill the need.
Antioxidant supplements neutralize the free radicals, which is mostly right. Antioxidants are potent substances that come primarily from vegetables and fruits that we eat. They prevent as well as prohibit the oxidation of other molecules in the body.
Recommendations by your doctor will also help in choosing the best antioxidant supplement. Your doctor would know what your medical condition is and they can suggest the best supplement for your body. For instance, if a person has a risk of osteoporosis, their doctor may recommend Vitamin D and calcium.
Several products boast about various advantages, however, do not contain sufficient quantities or botanical ingredients required to be effective. It is crucial for the consumer to understand what portions an antioxidant supplement contains. There are a few things that one should look for in an antioxidant supplement before buying it.
Is taking antioxidants from food or supplements advisable?
Contrary to popular belief, antioxidant supplements do not actually make you healthy. The natural way of getting nutrients that your body needs is still the best method for boosting your consumption.
For this reason, instead of taking supplements, eating a healthy diet that consists of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables can assure you of getting a diverse range of antioxidants to optimize your health.
Here are the antioxidants you can get from various food sources:
- Vitamin A
- Milk
- Liver
- Carrots
- Egg yolks
- Sweet potatoes
- Vitamin C
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Brussel sprouts
- Vitamin E
- Almonds
- Avocado
- Leafy greens
- Carotenoids
- Apricots
- Broccoli
- Asparagus
- Zinc
- Beef
- Oysters
- Pumpkin seeds
- Selenium
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Brazil nuts
Can you overdose from taking too many supplements?
As it is often said, too much of anything is bad, and the same approach applies to antioxidant supplements. Even though taking them in high doses does not lead to overdose, it could cause serious damage to your body.
Negative Effects of taking too many antioxidant supplements
They can reduce your athletic performance
Taking too many Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and other antioxidant supplements can cause your body to adapt negatively to sports and exercise. It can also reduce some health benefits of staying active and leading a healthy lifestyle.
They can increase your risk of getting cancer
According to research studies, taking antioxidant supplements, particularly beta-carotene, does not decrease your risk of getting cancer or dying from it. In fact, it even increases the risk of some cancers and interferes with cancer treatment medications and therapies.
Make sure to consult your primary doctor before taking any antioxidant supplements, especially if you are a cancer patient and are undergoing treatment.
They can cause birth defects
If you are pregnant, be cautious in taking antioxidant supplements because high levels of Vitamin A can increase the risk of birth defects. Again, be sure to discuss with your doctor first before taking any supplements for your safety and peace of mind.
Antioxidant supplements can do more harm than good for your body, especially when you take too many of them. You may consider adding other nutritious foods that are rich in antioxidants to your diet instead of taking supplements to boost your health.
On the other hand, if you decide to take supplements, make sure to talk to your doctor beforehand to discuss their potential health risks, and to determine whether or not they are right for you.
NutriRise Glucosamine Chondroitin Turmeric & MSM
This supplement from NutriRise contains 100% all-natural ingredients that are said to be dairy-free, gluten-free and free of genetically modified organisms or GMOs.
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Vimerson Health Glucosamine Chondroitin Turmeric & MSM
The Vimerson Health Glucosamine Chondroitin Turmeric & MSM is made of all-natural ingredients and does not contain any preservatives or hormones that aim to extend its shelf life. This supplement is also free from soy-based compounds, sugar, cholesterol, and starch.
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Think Remedy Aged Black Garlic Allium Sativum Supplement
The Think Remedy Aged Black Garlic Allium Sativum Supplement comes from Garlic and contains the antioxidant called S-Allyl-Cysteine or SAC. This antioxidant pill can improve your overall health and wellness, especially if partnered with regular diet and exercise. The Think Remedy pill does not have any of the bitter aftertastes or odor that most garlic pills would have.
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Bayberg Women’s Vitamins Antioxidant Formula
Luckily, antioxidants are easily available in a variety of food including vegetables, nuts, and fruits to name a few. While there are no established rules on how much antioxidants are needed daily, it is still best to consume plenty to ensure better health.
Antioxidants are also readily available as supplements. One of the products on the market is the Bayberg Women’s Vitamins Antioxidant Formula. How does it fare exactly?
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Thorne Research – Anti-Oxidant – Broad Spectrum Antioxidant
As we take a look at Thorne Research Antioxidant Formula, we can’t help but notice that the product is surprisingly simple and straightforward. There are no huge claims, no unrealistic promises, or an army of ingredients to confuse you. On our first interaction, the simplicity and logical approach of this antioxidant formula grabs our attention. But, we cannot jump into conclusions by simply looking at the face value. It may be misleading at times. So, let’s delve deeper and find out what this product is made up of and what it can offer.
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Wel Essentials Glutathione Complex
The Wel EssentialsTM Glutathione Complex is an antioxidant and herbal supplement that promotes detoxification and reverses the negative impacts of free radicals.
The manufacturer claims that their formula has been specifically designed to increase the glutathione levels within the body. It is more powerful than the average glutathione support products available in the market.
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Nrf2 Boost – 60 Veggie Capsules
When we are young and healthy, our body is capable of acting fast when there’s a cellular damage. It can quickly repair and rejuvenate the damaged cells.
One of the most common ways in which our body takes care of cellular damage is by stimulating the production of antioxidant enzymes. This process is known as the Nrf2 pathway.
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The Wonders of Olive Tree Leaf Extract
Olive leaf extracts are popular because of their many health benefits. The leaf from the Olive tree has been used for hundreds of years to help improve overall health as they contain bioactive compounds that provide many health benefits comparable to olive oil.
Luckily, the market has plenty of supplements that are rich in olive leaf extract including the Healths Harmony Best Olive Leaf Extract Super Strength. If you are on the lookout for this food supplement, then you may want to try out this product.
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100% Pure Resveratrol – Antioxidant Supplement Extract, for Heart, Health & Weight Loss, Anti-Aging
The aSquared Nutrition Antioxidant Supplement supports heart health, as well as weight loss and overall wellness. Each bottle contains 180 capsules of pure resveratrol.
Here are some of its features: Has Natural Formulation. The formula used for the aSquared Nutrition Antioxidant Supplement is 100% natural and uses ingredients that are FDA-registered and GMP-compliant.
As it is naturally formulated, this antioxidant supplement does not have any harmful fillers or binders that might otherwise cause an adverse effect on the body. Has 100% Extra Strength Resveratrol.
Sourced from grape skin, red wine and blueberries, resveratrol extract is an antioxidant compound that can help fight illnesses, and it may help maintain youthful vigour and appearance.
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Natures Design Pomegranate Complex
Natures Design Pomegranate Complex is an antioxidant pill supplement that not only gives the body its much-needed antioxidants, but it can also help with cardiovascular treatment, and it can improve the body’s immune system.
- Can Lower Cholesterol Levels: The pomegranate ingredient found in this antioxidant pill has the potential to help lower cholesterol levels, specifically low-density lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol.
- Can Improve Libido Among Men: If taken properly and with the guidance of a physician, Natures Design Pomegranate Complex antioxidant pill can act as a male enhancement pill which also helps improves performance in the bedroom.
- Can Protect Against Illness: The powerful antioxidant component of this pill may help fight against diseases and illnesses. It can also improve the immune system over time.
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NOW Super Antioxidants, 120 Veg Capsules
NOW Super Antioxidants have the strongest oxidation quenching nutrients that are available in the market today.
This supplement has two veg capsules servings per container, where each container has green tea extract, milk thistle extract, quercetin – from Quercetin Dihydrate – turmeric root extract, bromelain extract from pineapple, Rosemary – Rosmarinus officinalis – bilberry extract, hawthorn extract from both leaf and flower, grape seed extract, ginkgo Biloba extract, cranberry powder and ginger root.
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Activa Naturals Super Antioxidant Supplement
People love Activa Naturals Super Antioxidant because it has amazing ingredients. The support formula will assist in improving the immune system health of users as well.
In addition to this, this supplement helps in improving the health of your immune system. Also, the support formula helps in freeing the radicals in the body while simultaneously providing an overall sense of wellness.
The super antioxidants formula of Activa assists in fighting the natural by-products of metabolism, which are called the free radicals.
This supplement can also also reduce oxidant stress, which helps the user in maintaining good health.
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Astaxanthin (12mg) with Organic Coconut Oil
Astaxanthinis natural and has 100% natural astaxanthin that is sourced from Haematococcus pluvialis Micoalgae.
Astaxanthin supports skin, joint and eye health. It helps in keeping your skin safe from the harsh ultraviolet rays. It protects your eyes from eye infections and diseases and keeps your joints strong.
This supplement is formulated without gluten, animal by-product, fillers or synthetic ingredients. In the market, Astaxanthin is the only non-GMO project verified antioxidant available.
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Wild Blueberry Concentrate – Made from Organic Berries
The Wild Blueberry Concentrate is made from Wild Organic Blueberries that are grown in the United States.
This supplement is packed with a number of strong antioxidants that include anthocyanins and phytonutrients.
The consumption of wild blueberry concentrate is supporting a number of advantages that include cardiovascular and whole body antioxidant support, cognitive protection and eye health and regulating blood sugar levels.
This antioxidant supplement is produced and packaged in the United States in cGMP, NSF certified facilities.
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Health Force Acai Resveratrol Ultimate Orac Antioxidant Extreme Version 8
Another amazing antioxidant supplement is Health Force Acai Resveratrol Ultimate Orac Antioxidant, which has around 120 capsules.
The free radicals are very harmful to your body and they are waging a war of destruction against your body as well as contributing to the ageing process and degeneration process of the human body.
The antioxidants like the Health Force Acai Resveratrol Ultimate Orac Antioxidant protect your body against such attacks by free radicals by waging its own war against them to slow the ageing and degeneration process and prevent all kinds of diseases.
This supplement contains the most powerful, comprehensive and potent array of botanicals that kill free radicals. The botanicals present in this supplement are both water and fat-soluble.
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Finding the Best Antioxidant Supplement
If you are wondering how to would find out the nutrients, you lack, get a blood test. The report will show if your vitamin level is on a decent mark.
After you have found what your body requires, you can choose the best antioxidant supplement for your organization.
Antioxidants are supposed to prolong the life of a person. There is some belief among some potential consumers that antioxidant supplements do not assist the health of a person.
Some even think that antioxidants slow growth and increase the risk of death of the user.
Antioxidants work by battling free radicals. Mary Hartley, the nutrition expert at AskMaryRD.com, says that free radicals are those unstable molecules that can damage the cells if left unchecked.
Antioxidants are very good for health because if free radicals are not prevented, they can cause several forms of chronic diseases and illnesses.
Our body produces antioxidants and free radicals naturally to fight those damaging effects. But, the free radicals – in most cases – outnumber the antioxidants that occur naturally.
The antioxidants benefit the body by removing and neutralizing the free radicals from the bloodstream.
A wide range of antioxidants found in nature and different antioxidants offer benefits to different parts of the body because they are quite varied.
Conclusion
The above given antioxidant supplements are all strong to help in preventing different kinds of diseases.
The supplements also strengthen or improve different parts of the body like Wild Blueberry Concentrate is best when it comes to eye protection, Astaxanthin strengthens joints and protects the skin from pollution, Health Force Orac Antioxidant Extreme fights and kills free radicals, etc.
Prior to buying the supplements, a consumer should understand what they require, in addition to consulting with their healthcare professional before consuming any supplement.
All antioxidant supplements have different pros and cons, the consumer must be aware of these features before buying supplements.
Lastly, the consumer should thoroughly read the directions on the label about the recommended daily dosage of each supplement to know the exact number of capsules they can consume per day so there are no ill side effects.
Need help choosing the right antioxidants? To learn more about antioxidant supplements, browse our website, read the Quick Reference Guide or contact us today. We look forward to serving you!