The Reality of Antioxidants – Cobbers on the Brain

Oxygen is important for your body’s health, however overexposure to oxygen causes oxidation. Oxidation involves the loss of electrons through a chemical reaction resulting in free radicals. Free radicals start chain reactions within the cell that can cause damage or death to the cell. Oxidative stress can be caused by excess nitric oxide in the cell. At normal levels, nitric oxide is an important physiological signaling molecule, however in excess, nitric oxides displays neurotoxicity. Oxidative stress is thought to play an important role in many neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease.
An antioxidant is a molecule that inhibits the oxidation of other molecules within the body. They are used to stabilize free radicals; keeping them from causing damage to other cells. Antioxidants can protect against and sometimes reverse the damage caused by oxidation. Antioxidants are natural or man-made substances found in many foods or dietary supplements. Examples of antioxidants include:

Vitamin A found in milk, butter, and eggs.
Vitamin C found in most fruits and vegetables such as oranges and broccoli.
Vitamin E found in nuts, seeds, oils and leafy greens, including almonds, kale, and soybean oil.
Beta-carotene is found in colorful fruits such as cantaloupe and squash as well as leafy greens.
Lycopene is found in pink and red fruits such as watermelon and tomatoes
Lutein is found in leafy greens.
Selenium can be found in cereals, nuts, legumes, animal products, bread and pasta.

The best way to get antioxidants is to eat a healthy diet of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and nuts. Consuming a variety of the above foods is important to establishing healthy levels of each antioxidant type. Although multi-vitamin supplements provide a good balance of nutrients, too many nutrients from supplements rather than food can be harmful.
The science behind the role of oxidative stress in aging and neurodegenerative disorders and the use of nutritional antioxidants as treatment is complex. Antioxidants have not been shown to have strong therapeutic efficacy, however they are sold to the public with dramatic health claims as if they were medically recommended.
In the past decade, there has been a public surge toward the over consumption of antioxidants with the impression that it keeps an individual healthy. Walking through the pharmacy section of any major super market, you see bottles upon bottles of supplements. The labels are eye-catching; telling the buyer all of the health benefits of a little pill. In the cold aisle, there are boxes of little packets that supposedly help you fight the common cold or flu. An individual may consume 2 Vitamin C packets a day in the hopes of staying healthy over winter. In reality, if you consume copious amounts Vitamin C, you end up excreting a majority of what you consume.
Your body needs a certain amount of each nutrient, and once it has enough, it gets rid of the rest. Over consumption can actually lead to negative consequences such as higher risk of lung disease for smokers. The evidence supporting the use of antioxidants as treatment for neurological disorders is ambiguous at best. Although there are benefits, they are not sufficient enough to treat or prevent neurological disorders.
Why then does the American public put so much stock in a little pill or packet of powder? We spend thousands of dollars on a natural “treatment” that has no proven effect. A healthy diet provides the needed nutrients without the high risk of overconsumption.
Sources
http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/prevention-wellness/food-nutrition/nutrients/antioxidants-what-you-need-to-know.html