Aging - Stop With Anti-Oxidants

People have been taking the anti-oxidant supplements for some time now, but recent studies might suggest they could actually be doing more harm than good.  It's not that these supplements don't do anything, it's just that, as with most things, there is a balance to be struck. Too much of one thing can actually lead to negative effects. As always though, there are still many benefits in taking these supplements and avoiding other things like smoking or processed foods which can also have negative side effects.

Here are some of the benefits and risks of taking anti-oxidant supplements:

Benefits:

1) Anti-oxidants circulate through the blood and help to protect cells from damage caused by free radical. The more cells that are damaged, the more quickly you get old. This is why anti-oxidants help slow the aging process, as they allow your cells to live longer.

Cons:

1) Too many anti-oxidants can actually cause other damage to your body. Your body doesn't have a way of telling when it's had too much of a good thing, so taking more than you need could actually put you at risk for things like heart disease or cancer.

2) Anti-oxidants can be harmful to good bacteria in your intestines, leading to a condition called leaky gut. This condition can cause digestive problems and lead to other health issues.

3) Too much of any supplement can make you sick. The body is very sensitive and if something doesn't agree with it, it will react strongly. This means that for some people, an overdose of anti-oxidants could actually lead to poisoning or even death. So please be careful!

Benefits: 

1) If you already have a low level of anti-oxidants in your body, taking supplements can help you out. Taking the right amounts of anti-oxidants is great for your circulation, your skin and your body as a whole.

Cons:

1) There's only so much these supplements can do, since they're only supplementing what you already have, so taking too many can't really give you any extra benefits.

2) Though taking anti-oxidants is known to help with certain things like cancer prevention and heart disease risk, there are other things which are just as effective and even more beneficial.  For example, adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet is a great way to reduce the amount of free radicals in your system and keep yourself healthy. As well, weight loss has been proven to prevent heart disease, and exercise can do the same.  Plenty of other reasons can be found in our article on ways to reduce health risks.

3) An excess of anti-oxidants can lead to more problems than just having too much of this supplement laying around. It's important to remember that not all types of anti-oxidants are created equal. Just like with vitamins, it's important that you find out what type of supplement you're taking so that you know how much is too much and when it is actually a good idea for you to take it.

4) Anti-oxidants aren't perfect. Many studies have shown that these supplements are not very helpful in the fight against cancer, though they are known to be great for heart disease prevention.  So make sure to do your research and read up on the science so you can keep yourself as healthy as possible!

6) In most cases, anti-oxidants can't actually replace your regular diet in any way. That's why they don't play a big role in our little four post guide. They're just there to add flavor or help with a few things. Most of the time it's better to get your nutrients from food than from supplements (this is especially true for someone looking for a short cut).

Summary:

1) There is no doubt that anti-oxidants are great for you, but they can't do everything they're made out to be able to. They're great as supplements, but not a replacement for a healthy diet. So remember that whenever you take any supplement, it's always best to read up on the science behind it and make sure you do your research!

2) As we mentioned above, don't forget that too much of anything is never good! If you think you need a supplement or are taking too much of something, then make sure to see a doctor or nutritionist so you know what the best course of action is.

3) Anti-oxidants aren't perfect, many studies show that they are not very helpful in the fight against cancer.

6) The main point we wanted to get across in this article is that you should focus on overall health and wellness, so eat healthy and keep gaining weight (if you want to). You don't need any supplements to do this either.

Thank you guys and if you have any questions or feedback just ask me in the comments. Or if you have some article ideas then leave those too.

I'll be making one more post on supplements, but I might put it in a different format than this one. Look forward to that. Stay healthy everyone!

Extras:

By the way, for all those who are interested in reading up on the science and information behind anti-oxidants and why they're so important, here are some links to some great resources:

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/antioxidant-000258.htm This article talks about why free radicals need to be destroyed and what anti-oxidants do in order to do that. Another good one is: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000240.htm This one talks about how the body uses anti-oxidants to help fight off free radicals and cancer cells. There are many more out there, just Google anti-oxidant science or some other topic you'd like to know more about!

Here's a video made by Dr. Greger which talks about how many of the foods we eat contain powerful antioxidants:

In this video he also mentions that Vitamins C and E are especially good at boosting immune system function and protecting against cancers and infections:  http://nutritionfacts.

Conclusion:

I hope you enjoyed this article and found it helpful. If there were any errors or anything else I should be addressing, let me know! I'll be sure to fix them for the next article as well. I'm still a beginner when it comes to writing and editing content so bear with me!

Thanks for reading! I'll see you guys soon with another blog post. Have a wonderful day! :)

To start off, There was nothing special about me to help me get here and there was no way for anyone to tell that I would get the opportunity that i had.