Antioxidants are highly promoted by media, some physicians and dietitians, and nutritional industries for a variety of reasons. They are said to help slow the aging process and prevent vision loss, cancer, heart disease, stroke, and other chronic diseases.
Once it was thought that antioxidants were harmless, but researchers are learning that it might be possible to get too much of a good thing. Very little is known about how much a person should get or the long-term consequences of gigantic doses of antioxidants.
Free Radicals
The body generates hundreds of substances called “free radicals” when converting food to energy. Other free radicals are extracted from food or breathed in from the air, and some are generated by the sunlight’s action on the skin and eyes.
Once formed, these toxic compounds can start a chain reaction like dominoes. Cells may function poorly or die. Resulting oxidative stress is associated with more than 200 diseases.
The scavenger-free radical molecules are missing an electron in their outer shells and will do anything to fill them, including stealing electrons from your body’s cellular structures. Such cellular thievery may damage DNA, proteins (enzymes), and cell membranes. When these cells are damaged, your body is damaged, creating the foundation for disease and accelerated aging.
Antioxidants are molecules that can safely interact with free radicals and terminate the chain reaction before vital molecules are damaged. Although there are several enzyme systems within the body that disarm free radicals, the principal antioxidants are vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin C, and selenium.
When these antioxidants neutralize free radicals by donating an electron particle, they are left with a small problem. The antioxidants are now missing an electron and have become free radicals themselves. The body cannot manufacture these antioxidants, so they must be supplied in your diet.
In theory, antioxidants have the potential to improve or prevent a number of chronic diseases. But using them does not mean they will resolve your health problems. Research has not offered a lot of support so far for taking vitamin C, vitamin E, or beta-carotene to provide protection against heart disease, cancer, or other chronic conditions.
Coronary Artery Disease and Stroke
Several studies showed no difference in major cardiovascular events (Coronary Artery Disease and Stroke) and cancer when patients took either vitamin E or a placebo. Only one study in Israel showed a marked reduction in coronary artery disease among people with type 2 diabetes.
A beta-carotene study showed that the antioxidant provided no protection against heart disease or stroke. A study of vitamin and mineral supplements (vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, selenium, and zinc) showed no decrease in overall rates of cardiovascular disease.
Cancer
Unfortunately, few trials have gone on long enough to show a benefit in cancer patients. Several beta-carotene trials have shown no benefit on cancer. One trial using selenium showed a reduction in cancer risk and all-cause mortality among men but no apparent benefit for women. Another selenium trial in patients with skin cancer provided some hope by demonstrating significant reductions in cancer and cancer mortality, including colon, lung, and prostate.
Eye Disease
The one bright spot for antioxidant vitamins is a trial where patients taking vitamin C, beta-carotene, and zinc received some protection from antioxidants against the development of advanced age-related macular degeneration, but not cataracts.
The Bottom Line
To date, randomized, placebo-controlled trials are at best inconclusive, but generally don’t provide strong evidence that antioxidant supplements have a substantial impact on diseases such as heart events and cancer. Still, antioxidants continue to be added to breakfast cereals, energy bars, sodas, sports drinks, and other processed foods. Often claims have stretched and distorted data. It appears that antioxidants aren’t the magical solution they are sometimes hyped to be.
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This article was originally published on Jan. 14, 2013, in PharmacyTimes.com.