Although they are important at any age, as you grow older antioxidants become even more crucial to your health.  They help protect your cells from a process known as oxidation – the same chemical process that causes iron to rust and sliced apples to turn brown.  The by-product of this is the formation of free radicals, which can damage your body’s cells.  This can possibly lead to disease or even cancer over time.  As the name implies, antioxidants counteract this process by helping to neutralize free radicals. 

The Proper Diet

Fortunately, there are many foods – mainly fruits and vegetables – which naturally contain an abundant supply.  This is why they’re always telling us to have our 7 to 12 servings daily. The other reason is that many vitamins (antioxidants) are water-soluble, meaning your body cannot store them - they only work while they are in your system.  This is why it’s so important to not only have the recommended servings, but also spread them throughout the day.

Why Supplements Are Needed

However no matter how healthy your diet may be, it’s nearly impossible to fulfill our nutritional needs with every single meal.  Whether it’s at a restaurant or grabbing a granola bar for breakfast, in today’s fast paced world we rarely have the time and resources to eat a well balance meal. This is why supplements are recommended.  Not only will they supply your body with vitamins commonly found in food, but they also offer essential antioxidants which are hard to come by with diet alone, such as omega 3 fatty acids and alpha lipoic acid.

Using Antioxidants Topically

Scientists are discovering antioxidants can also be beneficial when applied in the form of topical cream or serum.  Our Skin is the largest organ and despite being a great protective barrier, it also quite absorbent.  This is why vitamin C skin products are such a hot commodity right now.  Alpha lipoic acid cream is also thought to be helpful, but further research is needed in order to know for sure.

Buying The Best

Make no mistake about it, the supplement business is a multi-billion dollar industry. There’s a lot of money being spent on advertising brand name vitamins, but are they worth paying more for?

The truth of the matter is that you should be paying attention to their ingredient labels rather than their brand.  Assuming they are honest in their labeling, a milligram of a specific vitamin or mineral is the same no matter who makes it.  So when it comes to your basics, there’s no need to pay for high end products.  However, certain ingredients like alpha lipoic acid and coenzyme Q10 are more expensive to manufacture, so typically you will not find them in the lower priced multi-vitamins.