Body Cell

Your body’s natural antioxidant sys­tems were simply not designed to handle rooms full of cigarette smoke, a diet loaded with fat and constant exposure to new and more virulent viruses.

This may change once scientists learn how to alter our genes so that we produce more natural antioxidants. But in the meantime, we do have another option: enhancing our natural antioxidants with synthetic antioxidants—in a word, supplements.

Laboratory studies indicate that antioxidant supplements, predomi­nantly vitamins C and E plus beta-carotene and selenium, seem to be able to neutralize free radicals caused by exposure to environmental pollut­ants.

Does that mean that supplements can actually slow the aging process? Nobody knows yet, but scientists are actively trying to figure that out.

Although antioxidant supplements perform well on laboratory animals, it may be some time before science can answer that question for humans.

Fruit Supply

Yet while we’re waiting to find out, one thing seems absolutely clear: Those folks who take supplemental antioxidants or who enrich their diets with antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables certainly seem to be preventing development of the diseases that can accelerate the aging process. A long-term study conducted by French researchers called the SUplementation en Vltamines et Mineraux AntioXydants (SU.VI.MAX) set out to assess the effects of vitamin and minerals supplements on chronic diseases, such as cancer and heart disease. They looked at whether a cocktail of antioxidants at doses that are available through a healthy balanced diet could reduce the risk of disease over a period of 7 ½  years. Over 13,000 adults between the ages of 45 and 60 were given either a placebo or a supplement containing 120 milligrams of vitamin C, 30 milligrams of vitamin E, 6 milligrams of beta- carotene, 100 micrograms of selenium, and 20 milligrams of zinc. After 7 ½ years, the researchers found that the men in the group taking the supple­ments had a lower incidence of cancer.

Hundreds of population-based studies like this one conducted over the past 2 decades have demonstrated that high intake of antioxidants, through food or supplements, reduces the risk of diseases that accelerate us into old age and helps us maintain a high quality of life. However, clinical studies of antioxidant supplements taken singly or at high doses over an extended period of time aren’t as consistently positive.

Cysteine Peptide Chart

Getting people to eat a more nutrient-dense diet as they age is impor­tant, says Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, director of the antioxidants research lab­oratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston. But what you eat is also important, he adds.

In essence, eating a super high-quality diet is crucial if you want to do all that you can to stay young longer. It’s especially important to key in on good food sources of vitamins C and E and carot­enoids like beta-carotene. Good sources include orange and yellow vegeta­bles, fruits, and whole grains.