Antioxidant Supplements

Paul Taylor meets with Associate Professor David Cameron-Smith at Deakin University’s School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences to discuss the true value of antioxidant supplements.

In addition to not improving people’s overall health, common antioxidant supplements such as Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A, and Vitamin E may even be harmful when taken in high doses.  From Men’s Health:

•    Beta-carotene may actually make cancer-causing chemicals more dangerous
•    Vitamin A causes DNA damage
•    Vitamin E actually becomes a pro-oxidant, increasing cell damage

However, increasing the amount of natural food products that contain these antioxidants is extremely beneficial to our health.  To load up on these micro-nutrients, eat more of these foods (provided by Men’s Health):

•    Vitamin A and beta-carotene: Sweet potatoes, carrots, and spinach
•    Vitamin C: Citrus fruits, red and green pepper, tomatoes
•    Vitamin E: Safflower oil, peanuts, and almonds
•    Selenium: Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, brown rice