It seems that antioxidants are almost a magical cure all for everything – but whats the reality? Can they really even help fight heart something like disease, for example? Antioxidants are present in many minerals, vitamins, and different types of food, and they are used mostly by our bodies in the battle against free radicals. Free radicals are a main cause of cell damage, and as you can well imagine, that cell damage has gfar reaching consequences like heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases.

Many antioxidant studies have reached different conclusions. Antioxidants from Vitamin E supplements , for example, seem ineffective in reducing your chances of stroke, heart disease, or other heart problems. While the supplement may contain antioxidants, they don’t seem to make a lot of difference.

Beta carotene supplements are rich in antioxidants , but doctors agree excessive amounts of beta carotene should be avoided since it can actually increase your chances of heart disease and other cardiovascular issues! So mega dosing as a way to supplement your anti oxidant levels doesn’t look like a good idea.

The main benefit, then, comes from eating foods rich in antioxidants. While supplements don’t help, foods like vegetables, whole grains, and fruits that contain antioxidants have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease. To help lower your risk of cardiovascular diseases, then, you may need to modify your diet to include many of these foods and not rely on dietary supplements as much. This seems like a case when natural antioxidants offer the most promise. Another natural antioxidant is L-glutathione which is manufactured in the body and is also not a great candidate to be replaced with a supplement. It seems that it’s just not all that well absorbed as an oral supplement. A Glutathione precursor like MAXGXL can raise those levels.
And that’s really too bad because glutathione is a very powerful antioxidant – considered by many to be the master antioxidant and its also a powerful anti imflammatory as well.
And while you’re thinking about it, you could consider quitting smoking. (Hardly much of a news flash, is it?) Smoking has been linked to the production of free radicals which increase the risk of heart disease so if you want to lower the level of free radicals in your body, stopping smoking is very important. Every time you light up a cigarrette, your body needs to divert antioxidants to repair the damage you’re in the process of causing and that means it’s not fixing what has already gone wrong- or addressing other problems that might be about to go wrong. It’s also helpful to watch your blood pressure, eat foods high in fiber and other nutrients, and exercise regularly.