There’s just no getting around it: oxygen is really bad for you. Aside from providing every cell in your body with the means to survive, and being essential in other useful processes like the combustion in your gas tank, the fact is that oxygen is also the prime suspect in symptoms of aging and in many disease conditions.

Oxygen molecules in their most common form (0²) have two unpaired electrons. Atoms or molecules with unpaired electrons are known as “free radicals.” These unpaired electrons make them react readily with nearly all of the other substances that they encounter. So what, you say?

Oxidation is a pretty destructive process. When something burns, what’s really happening is that it’s rapidly reacting with oxygen. And just as oxygen is destructive to flammable materials (in the presence of an ignition source), it also can be harmful to living tissue.

So what’s a body to do? Fortunately, we have adapted marvelously to the presence of oxygen and other destructive free radicals, both in our environment and in our bodies. Chemicals that prevent oxidation from occurring are called (appropriately) “antioxidants”, and they are abundant in a healthy body.

There are literally thousands of antioxidant compounds found in living organisms, the greatest variety of which are found in plants—hence their name, “phytonutrients.” The most popularly known are vitamins A, C, and E, and these are essential in humans for good health. Unfortunately, most people don’t consume a sufficient amount of foods containing these nutrients, like deep green, yellow, red, and orange fruits and vegetables. 

While clinical studies have yielded conflicting conclusions about the value of supplementing these vitamins, many health-conscious people do so as a form of “nutritional insurance.” There is some speculation, however, that many clinical studies of antioxidant vitamins did not consider the quality of the supplements taken; in short, not all vitamin supplements are created equal.

Vitamin A can be supplemented either as vitamin A (retinol) or as beta carotene, a provitamin which, when ingested, is converted to vitamin A by the body. The advantage to taking beta carotene is that the body only converts as much as it needs, and avoids the risk of vitamin A toxicity.

Vitamin E is actually a class of chemicals called tocopherols. While these occur in nature, some manufacturers choose to produce them in a laboratory setting. The resulting compounds are typically only one kind of tocopherol, and not a balance as is present in supplements taken from natural sources.

Vitamin C can likewise be synthesized in a laboratory setting, and the resulting product is chemically similar (though not identical) to what can be extracted from natural sources. But what is missing from synthetic vitamin C are the (literally) hundreds of other antioxidant compounds present in the source materials (citrus fruits), which are preserved and passed on to the consumer when included in a whole food supplement.

In addition to the “big three,” nutritionists have recently begun to recognize the importance of two other classes of antioxidants: flavonoids and carotinoids. What distinguishes these two types of compounds is that carotinoids are fat soluble (like vitamins A and E) and the flavonoids are water soluble (like vitamin C). These potent antioxidants have the potential to provide powerful protection from the harm posed by environmental and internal free radical molecules. These compounds are so abundant and varied that not all of them have been subjected to rigorous clinical study, but those that have are heralded as the nutritional “next big thing.”

Amazing Antioxidants Carotenoids are antioxidants implicated in the long-term health of eyes, prostate, cervix, lungs, and heart. They also support a strong immune system and contribute to overall wellness by providing potent protection for lipid-rich areas or cells. Flavonoids are water-soluble antioxidants linked to healthy circulation. They protect blood and blood-rich tissues, such as the liver and intestines. Vitamin A is a critical nutrient for the development and maintenance of vision; formation of skin, bones, and teeth; and maintenance of surface linings of internal systems (respiratory, urinary, intestinal). Because vitamin A is fat-soluble, ingesting too much can lead to toxicity. Supplement in moderation, as part of a multivitamin, and be sure your vitamin A is a balance of actual vitamin A (rentinol) and the provitamin form (beta carotene). Vitamin C helps maintain the health of eyes, teeth, and gums, as well as bone structure, muscles, and blood vessels. It is critical to the development of collagen, which comprises skin, tendon, cartilage, and connective tissue. Vitamin E is an important factor in promoting heart health and in maintaining a normal cardiovascular system. Selenium, which acts synergistically with vitamin E, helps promote the long-term health of the prostate, lungs, and colon.

For instance, the carotinoid lycopene (which occurs naturally in tomatoes, watermelon, and other red fruits) is over 100 times more effective than vitamin E at preventing the oxidation of a common type of oxygen molecule thought responsible for skin aging, and has been shown to have an impact on disorders as varied as osteoporosis, diabetes, and cancer. Lycopene has recently been added to many nutritional supplements.

Another example is resveratrol, the flavonoid in both red wine and grape seed extract that has been shown to protect us from cancer and heart disease in large scale studies. Like lycopene, many supplement companies have moved quickly to include resveratrol in their nutritional products.

Should you choose to take antioxidant supplements, it is important to be a critical consumer. Because the nutritional supplement industry is not tightly overseen by the federal government, there is an opportunity for producers to use low-quality source materials, synthetic chemicals, and even binding compounds made from hydrocarbons (many use coal tar to hold their tablet together).

So, remember to do your research, find a company with a good reputation, ask questions, and read all labels carefully!

Karen Johnson is a health-conscious full-time mom and Shaklee distributor. She can be reached at 278-9000 or 800.815.9326 or build@shaklee.net. Please visit her website at CatchTheGreen.com