Antioxidants supplements in the (negative) spotlight again

From Nutrition Data Blog
POSTED BY: Monica Reinagel, M.S., LD/N | May 13, 2009 | 10:56 AM

This story in yesterday's New York Times was the most emailed item on NYTimes.com: Vitamins Found to Curb Exercise Benefits

To summarize: Moderate intensity exercise creates free radicals in the body. That sounds like a bad thing, but these free radicals appear to stimulate the body's natural antioxidant defenses as well mechanisms that improves glucose sensitivity. So, the net effect is that exercise reduces free radical stress in the body and helps protect against Type 2 diabetes.

Here's the kicker: Taking vitamin C and E supplements seems to block these positive benefits of exercise. If you mop up exercise-induced free radicals with supplemental antioxidants, the body's own antioxidant defenses are not activated.

I realize it's just one study but the news on supplements (especially antioxidants) all seems to point in the same direction lately: Nature knows best. Eating antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables is a great idea but taking concentrated doses of antioxidants as vitamin supplements may actually do more harm than good.

Personally, I hate swallowing pills so I'm glad to be off the hook! Trying to meet your antioxidant needs with foods rather than supplements is also extra motivation to get those five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables everyday.

Tags: Antioxidants, Exercise, Supplements

Comment by David on June 5, 2009 at 1:23pm: Interesting news. So by taking a vitamin that would be considered the same thing?

Comment by David on June 5, 2009 at 6:41pm: Oh by the way, today I was reading Competitor magazine that they have at the pool, and one of the coaches recommended drinking liquids that have the vitamins and anti-oxidants as opposed to eating it in a pill form as your post suggests.

Comment by Susana on June 5, 2009 at 7:33pm: I don't take any antioxidants supplements or liquids that have vitamins either. It is better to get it from the natural source.

I am not sure about taking vitamins. The only one I take, not every day either, is B-Complex because I don't eat meat just in case I don't get enough from natural sources.

Just MHO... :)

Comment by David on June 5, 2009 at 7:52pm: I agree, without the original natural food source, everything else is just a derivative of the original.

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