When it comes to marketing of products in the health and wellness space, you may have come across the term "good source of antioxidants" or "high source of antioxidants". Have you ever wondered what all the fuss is about antioxidants, what the term actually means, and how they could be beneficial to your overall health?
In this article, we're going to cover the role of antioxidants and how they are related to the reduced risk of developing chronic health conditions, the different types of antioxidants, and testing options that are available to assess the antioxidant levels in your body.
Antioxidants VS Free Radicals
Antioxidants are substances that are able to protect our bodies from the effects of free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive and unstable molecules found in our bodies that don't have enough "electrons" so they are constantly trying to steal electrons from cells in our bodies in order for them to become stable again. This process of stealing electrons is damaging to cells as they damage the components that make up the structure of a cell such as DNA, proteins, and lipids (fats). Therefore, antioxidants are in a way "sacrificing" themselves by donating some of their electrons to these free radicals and in doing so, protecting the cells in our bodies.
Does this mean that free radicals are always the bad guys? Well, it depends on the context. Free radicals play an important role in the proper function of our bodies as they are involved in various processes such as in the production of energy for our bodies, detoxification process by the liver, and maintaining a proper immune system response.
Besides being naturally produced the body, free radicals can also affect the body through environmental factors such as air pollution, exposure from heavy metals, UV radiation from sunlight, and environmental chemicals such as pesticides.(1) Although free radicals can play an important role in the proper functioning of our bodies, problems can occur when antioxidants are not able to keep the level of free radicals in the body within an appropriate range. The antioxidant defence systems are overwhelmed and this creates a state of excessive free radicals in the body known as "oxidative stress". Oxidative stress is associated with the development of many chronic health conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and neurological conditions.(2)
Sources Of Antioxidants
In order to prevent a state of oxidative stress, our bodies have antioxidant defence systems which can be divided into antioxidant enzymes and antioxidant nutrients. Antioxidant enzymes help to convert free radicals into substances that are more stable and less reactive. Antioxidant nutrients on the other hand, help to neutralize these free radicals and its by-products so they work together as a team with the antioxidant enzymes. We'll review some of the more common antioxidants below:
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant that helps to maintain proper immune function, brain function, skin health as it helps to support collagen production, and also adrenal function as it is involved in the stress response.(3) Good sources of vitamin C include dark leafy greens, kiwifruit, lemon, orange, pineapple, strawberies, and tomato. Supplement dosage can range from 1,000 - 3,000 mg per day.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant that also has an anti-inflammatory effect. It can help to support general cardiovascular health as it may have some cholesterol-lowering effects.(4) Sources of vitamin E in the diet include almond, avocado, spinach, and sunflower seeds. Vitamin E can be divided into 2 groups, the tocopherol group and the tocotrienol group. The tocopherol form of vitamin E is more commonly found in food sources and supplements. The tocotrienol form of vitamin E is mostly available through practitioner-grade supplements and it is derived from annatto seeds. It has a higher potency in comparison to the tocopherol form. Supplement dosage is generally around 300 mg per day.
CoQ10
CoQ10 is a molecule that can be produced naturally by the body. It is involved in the production of energy within a cell, and can therefore be found in high concentrations in organs that have a higher energy demand such as the heart and liver. In addition, it is also a fat-soluble antioxidant which is similar to vitamin E. Besides its antioxidant properties, CoQ10 also helps to recycle vitamin C and E so that those vitamins can be used again to neutralise free radicals and therefore, CoQ10 has a synergistic effect with vitamins C and E.
It has generally been used for cardiovascular health but the use of CoQ10 has also been explored in other health conditions such as fatigue and migraines.(5) Sources of CoQ10 in the diet are generally minimal so supplementation is usually necessary if there is a deficiency in the body. Like vitamin E, there are 2 forms of CoQ10 supplementation which are ubiquinone and ubiquinol. The ubiquinol form is generally preferred as it is the more biologically active form of CoQ10. Dosages can vary from 200 - 400 mg per day.
NAC
N-acetylcysteine or more commonly known as NAC, is used as a building block to produce glutathione which is one of the main antioxidants made by the body. Besides its antioxidant properties, NAC also has some anti-inflammatory properties as well. It is often used for respiratory conditions clinically but recent research has suggested that it may be helpful for other conditions as well such as inflammatory bowel conditions (Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and also helping to support the body's overall detoxification process.(6)
To increase the body's glutathione reserve, supplementation can be done either using NAC or with glutathione directly, however supplementation with NAC is usually the preferred choice due to its lower cost and stability in comparison to glutathione; which usually needs to be prepared in a liposomal (liquid form) in order for it to be properly absorbed by the body. Supplement dosage for NAC varies from 1,000 - 3,000 mg per day and supplementation of liposomal glutathione can range from 200 - 300 mg per day.
Testing
Testing using the Organic Acids Test can help to determine the level of oxidative damage in the body as well as assess the amount of protective antioxidants that you have in the body such as Vitamin C, CoQ10, and NAC/glutathione. The Organic Acids Test is available as part of our Long-Term Plan package which can be found in the Services section.
References
1. Aseervatham, G. S., Sivasudha, T., Jeyadevi, R., & Arul Ananth, D. (2013). Environmental factors and unhealthy lifestyle influence oxidative stress in humans--an overview. Environmental science and pollution research international, 20(7), 4356–4369. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-1748-0
2. Jomova, K., Raptova, R., Alomar, S. Y., Alwasel, S. H., Nepovimova, E., Kuca, K., & Valko, M. (2023). Reactive oxygen species, toxicity, oxidative stress, and antioxidants: chronic diseases and aging. Archives of toxicology, 97(10), 2499–2574. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-023-03562-9
3. Mehta, N., Pokharna, P., & Shetty, S. R. (2023). Unwinding the potentials of vitamin C in COVID-19 and other diseases: An updated review. Nutrition and health, 29(3), 415–433. https://doi.org/10.1177/02601060221139628
4. Chin, K. Y., Pang, K. L., & Soelaiman, I. N. (2016). Tocotrienol and Its Role in Chronic Diseases. Advances in experimental medicine and biology, 928, 97–130. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41334-1_5
5. Testai, L., Martelli, A., Flori, L., Cicero, A. F. G., & Colletti, A. (2021). Coenzyme Q10: Clinical Applications beyond Cardiovascular Diseases. Nutrients, 13(5), 1697. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13051697
6. Schwalfenberg G. K. (2021). N-Acetylcysteine: A Review of Clinical Usefulness (an Old Drug with New Tricks). Journal of nutrition and metabolism, 2021, 9949453. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/9949453