Antioxidants by Anni Dahms

By Anni Dahms,

Founder of  the retail chain ANNI’s VITAL SHOP.
Nurse- & Health specialist,  Biopath and Nutritional Adviser.

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I recommend a dietary supplement to a customer and say that the product is an important antioxidant. The customer looks at me and says, ”We hear about antioxidants everywhere, they’re mentioned all over the place, it’s increasingly difficult to know what to believe. One day one thing is written and said, another day something else. Do they do anything for us? And what do they do?” It’s really difficult to keep up with all the different health tips that emerge in abundance every single day.

Free radicals

Free radicals are substances that cause oxidative stress and thereby protect us from the harmful effects of free radical oxidation by neutralizing them. Free radicals are chemical substances that create the degrading oxidation that occurs everywhere in our bodies and in nature. Free radicals slowly break down your cells. Although their lifespan is short, they can cause a lot of damage. It is estimated that they attack our cells 100,000 times per second.

Free radicals are also important for us to a certain extent because no chemical reactions can occur in the body without them. They help, among other things, against virus and bacterial attacks. When free radicals begin to accumulate, they become dangerous. They start to break down our blood cells, our brain, indeed every single cell, even our DNA. As we age, the damage from free radicals increases, and experts believe that 99% of our aging process is due to free radicals.

Examples that promote the influence of free radicals include smoking, even passive smoking, which contributes to premature aging of the skin. Cigarette smoke is riddled with free radicals. Smokers often have such wrinkled skin that it corresponds to 10 years more compared to non-smokers. As a smoker, you are also more susceptible to eye disorders such as both green and gray cataracts, as free radicals break down the tissue in the eyes. Other influences from free radicals include air pollution, stress, junk food, medication, chemicals, etc.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants are substances that, as mentioned above, counteract oxidation and must be supplied to the body either through diet or a combination of diet and supplements. Some researchers believe that the amount of antioxidants in our body plays a crucial role in our lifespan. There are researchers who have found that antioxidants can rejuvenate an aging immune system. As we age, our immune system declines, making us vulnerable to diseases.

It is important that we get antioxidants several times daily, mostly from vegetables and fruits, green tea, garlic, turmeric, etc., but also through certain supplements. Antioxidants should be supplied throughout the day because they also quickly disappear from the body again, except for some that last longer.

Antioxidants protect against heavy metals and other toxins and diseases. For example, antioxidants provide significant protection against the development of rheumatoid arthritis. Antioxidants are necessary to control the chemical balance of cholesterol, how much LDL (the bad) one has compared to HDL (the good).

The Diet

Ensure to have as clean food as possible. Organic food contains fewer toxins and more nutrients. Ensure plentiful intake of fresh vegetables and fruits. Antioxidants should primarily come from the diet supplemented with good dietary supplements.

Bell peppers are rich in antioxidants that strengthen your body. Carrots have a high content of beta-carotene and are a good antioxidant. You can find many other carotenoids in vegetables such as broccoli, kale, spinach, as well as onions and garlic, which contain a lot of phytochemicals that act as antioxidants.

Oranges and other citrus fruits are filled with both vitamin C and potassium. Red grapefruits contain a good amount of lycopene. Raisins, berries, especially blueberries and aronia, are filled with vitamins C and E, and certain phytochemicals that help reduce free radicals. Aronia, with its nutritious black berries, is considered one of the strongest antioxidants in the world.

Ensure to have good fats, but be aware that they are best consumed with antioxidants. It is the antioxidants that keep the fats in good shape for their specific effects. Fats can, without antioxidants, be transformed into toxic hardened fat.

Eat good quality nuts and preferably sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds.

Also, remember the healthy herbs such as oregano, dill, rosemary, peppermint. They rank high on the antioxidant list.

For meat, it can be good to have hearts from cows, chicken liver, and fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines.

Drink a good quality green tea, which contains good antioxidants.

Dietary Supplements

I’m crazy about antioxidants and take a lot of them. I make a big deal out of eating as clean as possible, and I supplement with important antioxidants as dietary supplements.

I use a network of antioxidants as a base. I spread my supplements over three times a day. To make it easy, I have a dosing box that I fill up once a week. That way, it becomes manageable and easy to take along with meals for optimal effectiveness. They are always taken with a glass of water.

I make sure my base is a good and easily absorbable multivitamin/mineral without iron, as I have passed the age where an iron supplement is necessary. For men, a multivitamin product without iron is also recommended. The most important vitamins that act as antioxidants are A – C – E, as well as some B vitamins. Other B vitamins are also significant for the function of antioxidants.

I often switch between different antioxidants. The daily dose, on average, besides the daily multivitamin, includes a natural vitamin E. Make sure to get the natural vitamin E. In my opinion, it works best. A natural vitamin E is described as “d-alpha-tocopherol,” whereas a synthetic one is described as “dl-alpha-tocopherol.”

I use Q10 as ubiquinol. I take 100 mg twice daily. Q10 is an important antioxidant. Whether you choose Q10 in oxidized form or as ubiquinol, which is Q10 in reduced form, it is important, for the best possible absorption, to wait 4 hours between taking the capsules.

We produce Q10 in our bodies, but the body’s own production decreases with age. So, as we age and in crisis situations, there is not enough Q10 produced, which is necessary, hence it is good to have an extra supplement.

Q10 is particularly known for supporting the heart and protecting cholesterol and arterial walls against atherosclerosis.

Alpha Lipoic acid is also one of my favorites. The dose varies a bit, but I use 250 mg daily. Alpha Lipoic acid is a cell-protecting antioxidant that helps all the body’s cells. It is especially known for its good effect for diabetes patients, where it helps prevent late complications such as neuropathy, which causes numbness in the arms and legs. It is an antioxidant that easily crosses the blood-brain barrier. It also helps remove heavy metals such as aluminum, mercury, and lead from the brain. Thus, it regenerates other antioxidants such as vitamin C and E. Much suggests that it is also good for several other things including memory, cataracts.

Vitamin E works best together with vitamin C, but selenium also has great significance. So give your body a broad-spectrum supplement. It is a good investment in your health.

Selenium, Ginkgo Biloba, Astaxanthin, and Pycnogenol are all supplements that are often part of my antioxidant program.

Tips

Be careful with too much sun exposure. It increases free radicals and contributes to the formation of wrinkles.

Ensure regular exercise, but avoid extreme workouts. It can increase the effect of free radicals.

Avoid stressful situations as much as possible. If you live in a life of constant stress, it is important that you reassess your situation and learn to manage your stress more wisely, so your body also gets much-needed relaxation periods, thus minimising the harmful effects of stress.