Not all Antioxidants are Created Equal!

The growing numbers of health conscious people today living more vibrant lives owe much to the efforts and research of certain pioneers who braved ridicule, for without them, many of us now wouldn't be aware of the general benefits of taking antioxidant supplements.

To take a particular notable example, great scientist and humanitarian Linus Pauling (the only man to win 2 unshared Nobel Prizes, one in Chemistry and one for Peace) urged people to supplement with Vitamin C after he became convinced of its myriad of benefits. Pauling personally used Vitamin C for the last three decades of his life, lived to the ripe old age of 93, and was instrumental in helping this vitamin become as popular as it is now.

Although we should remain forever grateful to luminaries like Pauling, we must continue to embrace advances in our collective knowledge.

While health conscious people now know what an antioxidant supplement is, and how it protects cells in the body from becoming the victim of widespread free radical damage, many of us still don't realize that there are wide variations in the potency and efficacy of antioxidants. In short, not all antioxidants are created equal!

Common vitamins like C and E have, in recent years, been shown to have very weak antioxidant properties compared to other substances.

For instance, researchers have discovered that green tea extract is an antioxidant a hundred times more powerful than Vitamin C, and over twenty times more so than Vitamin E! Current studies are showing that green tea may be beneficial in stopping certain types of cancers.

Did you know that grape seed extract is one of the few antioxidants that can cross the blood-brain barrier, and, hence, also protect brain cells from free radical damage?

If you want to get more efficacy out of your Vitamin C and E, research has shown that alpha-lipoic acid (a potent antioxidant supplement in its own right), can help "recycle" C and E, enhancing and prolonging their benefits. Moreover, alpha-lipoic acid is now being studied for its potential beneficial effects on such debilitating health conditions as: diabetes, cataracts, heart disease, and Alzheimer's.

Have you heard about the so-called "paradox of the French?" This saying refers to the "puzzling" phenomenon that French people eat a great deal of fatty foods, smoke cigarettes, yet still suffer lower rates of cardiovascular disease than we do here in the Western world.

Some experts attribute this to the fact that the French consume a lot more wine than we do. Wine, in particular red wine, has been shown to contain a special antioxidant known as resveratrol. Besides its potent antioxidant supplement properties, resvertatrol has now been shown to help lower bad (LDL) cholesterol, and has even shown a great deal of preliminary promise in stopping the progression of cancer.

As a last example, research has revealed that N- Acetylcysteine is a powerful antioxidant that has been shown to fortify the body by protecting it against various toxins -- toxins such as chemicals and byproducts found in such things as cigarette smoke and herbicides. It may also improve immune function and retard aging.

If you haven't heard of some of these antioxidant supplements, don't be surprised. The big money from the pharmaceutical companies have a strong incentive to suppress this kind of information from getting out to the public at large. After all, they make billions of dollars only when people get sick and need a prescription, not when people take care of themselves and avoid the major killers like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and more.

Truth seekers, however, should strive to emulate heros of the past like Linus Pauling and become the new torch bearers so that we can continue to improve the state of health for people everywhere with the latest breakthrough antioxidant supplements.

Dan Ho is chief editor of Nutritional Supplement Info Spotlight, which offers unconventional and unique solutions for common health issues, and keeping you abreast of the latest benefits and dangers of nutritional supplements with our FREE newsletter. Claim your subscription now at: Our Nutritional Supplements and Dietary Supplements Info Site

Baltimore Sun

Soy Isoflavone Supplementation Not Effective In Breast Cancer Protection Medical News Today A study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, reveals that breast cancer cell proliferation was not lowered with soy isoflavone supplements in a randomized human trial. Soy pills not helpful for breast cancer prevention, study saysLos Angeles Times Soy supplements may not protect against breast cancerHealthJockey.com Soy Isoflavones Don't Reduce Breast Epithelial ProliferationDoctors Lounge all 9 news articles »

Life Extension Rated Number One by Dietary Supplement Consumers in Four ... Sacramento Bee 8, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Life Extension, offering superior-quality dietary supplements to consumers and a pioneer in funding and reporting the latest anti-aging research and integrative health therapies, has been rated number one in four categories ... and more »

Dietary Supplement Maker Doctor's Best, Inc., Appoints Dr. Parris M. Kidd as ... MarketWatch (press release) SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., Feb 08, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Doctor's Best, Inc., a leading manufacturer and distributor of clinically-formulated dietary supplements, announced that dietary supplement industry researcher, product developer and educator Parris ... and more »

Nutritional Outlook

Dietary Supplements and the Food Safety Modernization Act: Today and Tomorrow Nutritional Outlook It requires FDA to implement a sweeping array of new regulations and enforcement policies, intended to better ensure the safety of food products marketed in the United States, including dietary supplements. FSMA has far-reaching implications for ... and more »

ThirdAge

Diet supplements recalled on unlabeled drug worries Fox News iStock Print Email Share Comments Recommend Tweet Healthy People Co is recalling 15 lots of seven different dietary supplements because they contain appetite suppressants or a drug for male erectile dysfunction, the Long Beach, California, company said ... Dietary Supplements Extensively Regulated, Say Authors of New ArticleMarketWatch (press release) Dietary Supplement Recalled After Found to Contain Drug IngredientsThirdAge ABC Article Outlines Supplement Regulation MythsNatural Products INSIDER all 33 news articles »

Be careful with supplements Vancouver Sun Supplements are an excellent way to bolster our diets and provide hard-to-find nutrients that our bodies need. But as Peter Jones, director of the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals at the University of Manitoba, explains, ...

Rough Draft: Dietary Supplement Industry Arguments Against FDA's NDI Draft ... Nutritional Outlook By Jennifer Grebow February 8, 2012 0 Comments Saying that the dietary supplements industry is unsatisfied with FDA's new dietary ingredient (NDI) draft guidance is an understatement. "Atrium Innovations firmly believes in the intended principle ...

Nutritional Outlook

Class Action Lawsuits and Dietary Supplements: Not Always a Fit? Nutritional Outlook By Joel Rothman February 8, 2012 0 Comments Class actions challenging advertising and labeling claims for dietary supplements and food products have become commonplace. Vitaminwater, POM Wonderful, and many other companies have been slapped with suits ...

NoviPet Appoints US National Manager to Oversee the Sales of its Premium Pet's ... MarketWatch (press release) FALLBROOK, California, February 7, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- NoviPet, a leading global provider of premium nutritional supplements for pets, announced today the appointment of veteran sales professional Jim Boyd as NoviPet's new national sales ... and more »

Times LIVE

Centrum Kids supplement contains aspartame: iLIVE Times LIVE In a children's supplement. My first thought was as to why on earth they would do this. I am no medical professional, but even I know the dangers of this ingredient, having had my children suffer first hand from just one kids yoghurt a day a few years ...