Antioxidants

What are antioxidants?

Antioxidants are molecules that help protect your cells against the effects of free radicals. Most free radicals form when oxygen in the body splits into single atoms with unpaired electrons. As electrons like to be in pairs, these free radicals seek out other electrons from other atoms in order to become more stable. When the other atom loses its electron, it will then try and steal an electron from another atom, resulting in a potentially harmful chain reaction in the body that can damage cells, causing illness and aging. Whilst a balance between free radicals and antioxidants is required for the body to function normally, if the free radicals start to take over and there is an imbalance of free radicals to antioxidants, the body then loses the ability to regulate the free radicals, which can result in oxidative stress. Certain lifestyle and environmental factors, such as smoking, drinking alcohol and exposure to toxic chemicals such as pesticides and air pollution, can accelerate the production of free radicals, which can overwhelm your normal antioxidant defences and leave you vulnerable to cell damage.

Antioxidants are molecules stable enough to donate electrons to free radicals, neutralize them and therefore reduce its capacity to cause damage.

Antioxidant food supplements

There are a great number of antioxidants occurring naturally in foods such as vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, beans, nuts, and even tea and coffee. These contain antioxidant nutrients such as Copper, Manganese, Selenium, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Glutathione, beta-Carotene and Zinc. Eating a diet rich in antioxidant nutrients can help reduce free radical production and contribute to the protection of cells from oxidative stress. Metabolics Antioxidant Formula, contains a blend of nutrients to deliver a safe and effective, broad range of antioxidants in a measured amount. If you can’t obtain sufficient fruits and vegetables through your diet, antioxidant food supplements are another way of supplementing for these antioxidant nutrients. The Metabolics range of antioxidants has been formulated based on over 25 years of experience in nutrition. As with all food supplements, it is encouraged to consult your healthcare practitioner prior to consumption as everyone has different nutritional needs to stay healthy due to a range of factors including age, sex and health.