The Power of Anti-Oxidants

For maximum protection from free radicals you need an abundant supply of both water and fat-soluble anti oxidants. By far the most powerful and readily available of these are vitamin C (water) and vitamin E (fat).

Fresh fruit and vegetables are of course a great dietary source of vitamin C - also providing a rich supply of the plant flavonoids which are one of nature's most generous suppliers of anti oxidants.

Dietary sources of vitamin E are less easy to come by, but should not be neglected. Dairy products, oily fish and some nuts and seed are the probably the most accessible.

Fortunately, should these strike you as unappetising, supplements of vitamin E are widely available and taken by huge numbers of people. Likewise, most people's diets are unlikely to contain sufficient fresh fruit and vegetables to provide optimum amounts of vitamin C, and many people find supplements an attractive option.

Note, however, that the term is "supplement", not "alternative". Attention always needs to be paid to eating a good diet. It is also important to note that vitamins C and E work closely with each other, as well as with a host of other nutrients, and one will be largely ineffective in the absence of each other.

If the idea of following a diet lavish in fruit, vegetables, oily fish, nuts and seeds makes you groan, then don't despair.

There's now increasing evidence that tea, coffee, red wine, beer and even dark chocolate contain significant quantities of polyphenols, a potent anti oxidant flavonoid.

What's especially exciting about this is that polyphenols appear to be effective in restricting the oxidation of LDL, the so-called "bad cholesterol" , which is now understood to be an important risk factor for heart disease.