Natural Antioxidants - Strengthen Your Body's Defensive System

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Natural antioxidants help your body fight against the dangers of free radicals.

Your body produces fewer antioxidants as you age, which can leave you more

vulnerable to disease.

Natural Antioxidant Protection and Free Radicals

Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that occur in our bodies as a result of various bodily processes. They are an essential part of the body's metabolic reactions but in excess they can cause cellular damage, which leads to early aging and diseases.

How can we protect our bodies from attacking free radicals? Our bodies produce a "scavenger" substance, called antioxidants, which are designed to help.

Natural antioxidants neutralize unstable free radical molecules thus stopping the attack before any damage can occur.

Free radicals attack our bodies from both internal and external sources. It might not be possible to totally avoid the harmful effects of free radicals,

but ensuring that the body has plenty of antioxidants available can help reduce the damage significantly.

Many factors increase the occurrence of free radicals in our body, including air pollution, chronic disease, carcinogens present in our food, vigorous exercise and mental stress, to name a few. Unfortunately, the circumstances of modern life mean that we are exposed to tremendous amounts of free radicals, and it is now more necessary than ever to provide our bodies with these natural "scavengers" to limit the harmful effects of free radicals.

What are some natural sources of antioxidants?

Diet is the best source of antioxidants. Many fruits, vegetables and plants naturally contain these free radical fighters, in the form of vitamins,

minerals and other chemical substances such as phytochemicals.

Some of the vitamins and minerals that bring the benefits of antioxidants are vitamin C, vitamins A and E, selenium and zinc. Many herbs also contain these health-promoting chemical substances, and may have even more powerful antioxidant characteristics than vitamins and minerals. For example, green tea

extract is 100 times more effective in reducing free radicals than vitamin C. Ginkgo biloba, bilberry, turmeric, and hawthorn are the some of the plants that have strong natural antioxidant effects.

The body is also capable of making its own potent antioxidants. Lipoic acid, glutathione, melatonin, SOD and coenzyme-Q10, all have powerful

antioxidative properties. As we age, however, our bodies stop producing these substances in sufficient quantities, and this decrease in production is

exacerbated by a poor diet, which is another common problem.

Do I need Antioxidant Supplements?

We need to ensure that the levels of antioxidants in our bodies remains high, in order to optimize our health and well being, and to help fight against

diseases. Eliminating your exposure to free radicals will also help to improve your general health.

What are the benefits of taking an antioxidant supplement? In an ideal world, the supplementation of our diet would not be necessary but many factors,

including nutrient-depleted soil, polluted air, toxic foods and mental stress are so common supplementing the diet is a sensible choice.

Choosing Natural Antioxidant Supplements

Choosing the right supplement can be hard as finding safe, high quality products can be difficult to find. Some products do not contain the ingredients

they claim on the label or actually contain harmful additives that could have detrimental effects on our health.

Therefore, it is important to spend some time for researching the quality of any health supplement before you decide to buy. We list the basic guidelines

below for finding a high quality natural antioxidant supplement.

• Nutrients can offer more health benefits in combination than if used in isolation. For example, Alpha Lipoic Acid is works with Acetyl L-carnitine and the combination of the two results in powerful antioxidant and anti-aging effects. Selenium and vitamin E also increase each other effectiveness.

  Therefore, look for products made by manufacturers who work with reputable scientists to ensure the maximum efficacy and safety of your supplement. We advise you to find a company operating under strict pharmaceutical GMP conditions, in order to ensure the best results.

• To make sure that your product contains the appropriate amounts of the active herbal ingredients, choose supplements that use standardized herbal extracts.

• Every product should be backed by a Certificate of Analysis (COA) to ensure the safety and quality of the supplement.

• Consider taking an antioxidant supplement formula that has a total balancing effect on your health by supplying not only the antioxidants but also all crucial nutrients that your body needs to function properly.

• Do not select products that contain any additives or fillers.

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