Antioxidants: 7 Powerful Benefits for a Long and Healthy Life

Everyone has heard the term Antioxidants, probably very frequently in the past 4 years. But do you know why? Antioxidants play a major role in keeping our bodies healthy, happy, and young by fighting stress and damage at the most singular level, within the molecular structures of all body cells. Once you understand what these microscopic super heroes do for us, you’ll understand what all the hype has been about!

What are Antioxidants?

Antioxidant is a broad term used to define a substance that helps protect cells from Oxidative Stress caused by an overload of Free Radicals in the body. Free radicals are not molecularly stable and need an electron to balance themselves. They will steal these electrons from essential molecules within a cell, like DNA, Lipids, and Proteins which damages the cell’s ability to perform its intended functions. Now imagine that on a massive scale, anywhere from 28 - 36 trillion according to recent studies on cell counts in the human body. 

When Free Radicals begin to outnumber healthy cells, the rate of damage and death puts extreme stress on the affected body system, putting the body into a state of Oxidative Stress. The damage caused by Oxidative Stress causes a chain reaction that often causes genetic mutations and/or cell death, which ultimately leads to increased rate of physical and mental aging, chronic illnesses/diseases, cognitive decline, and negative effects to overall health.

This is where Antioxidants take the spotlight. These “sacrificial lambs” target Free Radicals everywhere in the body and give up one of their own electrons to balance the destructive molecule, stabilizing it, and protecting those vulnerable and essential molecules from damage. The human body does produce its own Antioxidants in an attempt to balance the amount of Free Radicals that inevitably occur as a by-product of the body’s normal metabolic processes, but unfortunately it’s not enough. In addition to these metabolic processes, Free Radical production increases when the body is exposed to environmental stressors.

Environmental Stressors Increase Oxidative Stress

We live in a world where environmental stressors like air pollutants are unavoidable, and unfortunately our bodies respond to them by producing more Free Radicals. Although our bodies have good intentions, this increased production quickly leads to Oxidative Stress and cellular damage if there isn’t an increase in Antioxidants to balance them. 

Environmental Stressors that increase Oxidative Stress and damage include:

1. Air pollutants - smog, ozone, industrial emissions, vehicle exhaust
2. Smoke inhalation - tobacco, cigarettes, cigars, e-cigs and vapes, campfires, 2nd hand smoke
3. Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation - unprotected sun exposure, tanning beds, UV lamps, welding arc
4. Ionizing radiation - x-rays, radioactive materials, radiation therapies
5. Pesticides, herbicides, and industrial chemicals
6. Heavy metals - lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium
7. Medications - certain antibiotics, chemotherapeutic agents, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
8. Alcohol
9. Certain foods - refined sugars and carbohydrates, high glycemic foods, processed meats and packaged lunch meats, reused cooking oils and heating cooking past their specific smoke points

Unfortunately many of these stressors are unavoidable. So instead of trying to prevent the production of Free Radicals (that would be a losing battle), the best course of action is to ensure adequate amounts of Antioxidants are present in your body to neutralize the destructive molecules before they have the opportunity to wreak havoc on your body.

18 Antioxidant Vitamins and Minerals to fight Oxidative Stress

Here is the ultimate cheat sheet for increasing your body’s Antioxidant levels to combat aging and the other damaging effects of Free Radicals. You can supplement these through certain foods, but that takes a lot of research and dietary planning. The easiest ways to get these vitamins and minerals are through oral tablets/capsules, intramuscular injections, and intravenous infusions. 

Benefits of Antioxidants

1. Slows the effects of aging
2. Supports eye health and vision, aids in preventing macular degeneration symptoms as well as age-related vision loss/blindness
3. Reduces the appearance of aging skin, decreases fine lines and wrinkles, dryness, rough texture, dark spots, thickened “leathery” skin, laxity, thinning of skin
4. Promotes cardiovascular health, aids in protecting against heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure
5. Can reduce risk of some cancers by fighting the mutation of various body cells into malignant cells while also destroying existing cancer cells
6. Helps slow cognitive decline and reduces the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases that are known to be directly related to Oxidative stress, like Alzheimer’s, Dementia, and Parkinson’s
7. Fights the development of Diabetes by supporting healthy insulin levels and reduces blood sugar levels, can reduce risk of Type 2 Diabetes in adults

Many of the different supplements, vitamin injections, and IVs that we offer here at Recharge Clinic contain the antioxidant vitamins listed above. If you’re interested in learning more about options to optimize your antioxidant levels and support your body in its fight against Free Radicals and Oxidative Stress, fill out the form on the right side of this article or schedule your free consultation here.