Free radicals have developed a bad reputation because their highly reactive nature means these molecules can potentially damage cells, proteins and DNA, but thankfully antioxidants can help.
Free radical damage has been linked to various diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, arthritis, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders.
A natural response
However, the nuance lost in many articles on the subject is the fact that free radicals are normal by-products in a complex energy production process that occurs in our cells.
That means some degree of free radical-driven damage – known as oxidative stress – is normal. It’s similar to how your muscles grow following damage caused by intense training or exercise.
Accordingly, some degree of oxidative stress is necessary to initiate certain beneficial responses, be it after exercise or an immune reaction to an infection.
In this way, free radicals help to create resilient cells that can withstand metabolic stress and disease.
Overblown response
However, problems arise when our bodies become overwhelmed by free radicals in response to a chronic stress or an overblown acute response.
In these instances, free radicals can accumulate and result in cell damage. This state can also impede normal cell repair mechanisms.
This accumulation can happen due to poor diets, particularly when we consume excess sugar or refined carbohydrates or eat pro-inflammatory processed foods, such as trans fats.
Environmental or chemical stress, overtraining, chronic disease or excessive work or lifestyle stress, or a combination of these and other related factors are also major contributors.
Free radical fighters
Our bodies keep all levels of oxidation in check with the help of antioxidants, which lessen or prevent the effects of free radicals by reducing their reactivity through a chemical process.
This is technically known as an oxidation-reduction or redox reaction, where molecules transfer electrons between each other to balance their charges to reduce reactivity in the unstable molecule.
Antioxidants are unique in that they can donate an electron without becoming reactive free radicals themselves.
Our body also needs a variety of antioxidants as free radicals have different effects in different areas of the body, and not every antioxidant behaves in the same manner due to their different chemical properties.
Finding antioxidants
The best place to get antioxidants is from your diet. They’re found in abundance in natural foods, particularly colourful fruits and vegetables.
Carotenoids like beta-carotene and lutein, minerals like selenium and manganese, vitamins A, C and E, and certain phytonutrients such as lycopene, flavonoids, phenols and polyphenols are potent antioxidants we can derive from the foods we eat. Additional antioxidants include alpha lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10 and glutathione.
These natural, antioxidant-rich foods offer optimal bioavailability and a beneficial biological effect, which is sufficient to deal with any normal acute increase in physiological free radical production that occurs in response to standard training or typical daily life stress.
Reign in rampant free radicals
However, it is during periods when stresses surpass normal, beneficial levels, like during intense training blocks, work deadlines, exposure to pollution or chemical substances or while we’re sick, that additional antioxidant support may prove beneficial.
In these instances, adding more antioxidant-rich foods to your diet is a sensible approach and taking a well-formulated supplement can offer additional support.
Biogen Supreme Antioxidant is a multi-ingredient supplement for daily support, offering a formulation that includes resveratrol, co-enzyme Q10, astaxanthin, N-acetyl-L-cysteine, grape seed extract, and essential vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium and zinc.
Each ingredient has been selected and included into a convenient vegetable capsules to complement a well-balanced diet and daily wellness routine.
What’s Inside Biogen Supreme Antioxidant?
- Resveratrol (from Giant Knotweed extract)
- N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine
- Vitamin C & E
- Grape Seed Extract
- Co-enzyme Q10
- Astaxanthin
- Zinc
- Selenium
Author: Pedro van Gaalen
When he’s not writing about sport or health and fitness, Pedro is probably out training for his next marathon or ultra-marathon. He’s worked as a fitness professional and as a marketing and comms expert. He now combines his passions in his role as managing editor at Fitness magazine.
