Antioxidant health supplement is a term that generates reams of paper both favorable and unfavorable as confused consumers read on and on trying to decide who is right. No one can say for sure about most of these because they are not regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration. These are not considered to be drugs and are not fully regulated.



The bewildered consumer reads that antioxidants are generally beneficial but is left with a hazy impression about why. This sense of bewilderment may be aggravated in older persons for whom much of the research and findings are relatively new. The recent plethora of published material is in fact generated by the undeniable fact that there are far more on-going clinical trials and research projects in the field of nutrition than most other areas. That is because so many different beneficial nutrients are now known to exist. There are over 400 carotenoids. As if that weren't enough to confuse us there are thousands of bioflavonoids and each of these has the potential to prove highly beneficial once clinicians have the time to research them all. Or not. No one seems certain yet.

Consider coenzyme Q10 to be among this group of antioxidants that seems to have some pretty good research results. First identified in 1957, it has only been researched for 50 years. It was later given a closer look when in 1961 researchers found a deficiency of this enzyme to exist in the blood of cancer patients. After lengthy debate and study it seems to have become decided that supplementation of this antioxidant does have its place in the protocol of many cancer treatments but principally as an adjuvant therapy--that is one that is administered after the primary treatment has been completed.

Coenzyme Q10 is a fat soluble antioxidant that contributes to the production of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and helps to prevent mutation. It is further believed to be neuroprotective or preventative of neurodegenerative disease. It has been studied with some favorable results in Huntington disease patients.

Similarly, vitamin E is a fat soluble antioxidant which seems to have overwhelmingly favorable research results. It can produce improvement in the immune systems of the elderly. It may also help prevent macular degeneration and cataracts.

Vitamin C is a water soluble antioxidant which first came to international attention when legendary scientist Linus Pauling first began to extol its virtues as an aid to the immune system, over 40 years ago. It is now the most agreed upon of the beneficial and supplement able antioxidants. It is necessary for most metabolic functions and must be taken daily from foods or supplementation because it is not stored by the body.

Lipoic acid is one of the more recently studied and lesser known antioxidants. It is unique because of its categorization as both fat soluble and water soluble. At the cellular level it acts similarly to both vitamin C and vitamin E.

There does seem to be some pretty sound evidence in favor of some of these antioxidants and further there seems to be fairly good evidence that many of these may slow or even reverse the adverse affects of aging.