Question
Do you have any insight into anti-oxidant formulas? I’m looking for a good all in one, but haven’t found one I’m happy with yet.
Also, what’s your take on using them? Do they really work, or am I better off just eating a balanced diet like my Dr says?
Answer
The first notion we need to address is the often recommended “balanced diet” you often hear about. You can file it right up there with “3 square meals a day.”
I’ve been asking anyone and everyone for about 20 years (including the Dr’s) what 3 square meals a day means, as well as asking for guidance on a so called, “balanced diet.”
Thus far, nobody’s been able to give me a consistent answer.
The right diet for you depends… on a lot of things. But suffice it to say, when it comes to anti-oxidant intake, I do NOT think you can get everything you need from just food.
Here’s why: You need about 60mg of Vitamin C to prevent scurvy. Yet, you need it in GRAM amounts to get its anti-oxidant benefits. To do that, you’d need to eat crate loads of oranges.
Even if this was practical, you’d still be shooting in the dark because the Vitamin C content of an orange depends on its size, where its grown, when its picked, etc.
Alpha Lipoic Acid
The situation is similar for things like Alpha Lipoic Acid.
ALA is an anti-oxidant that’s both water and fat soluble, and you need anywhere from 50-200mg/day to get those effects. It’s found naturally occurring in organ meats like liver and kidneys as well as tomatoes, broccoli, yeast, spinach, and potatoes.
But good luck getting enough and/or a consistent amount.
Long story short, you’re going to have to supplement some of these anti-oxidants for them to work optimally.
No “All In One” Formula
I have yet to find an “all in one” formula I’m happy with, and from a practical perspective you can’t afford all of them, so here’s what I take daily.
3 grams of Vitamin C, 800 IU of natural Vitamin E, 200mg of R-ALA (regenerates vitamin C and E), 15mg of Astaxanthin and 1,500mg of N-Acetyl Cysteine.
NAC boosts levels of your body’s most prolific, endogenous anti-oxidant glutathione.
C and E are well established anti-oxidants that work better together than either one alone, and R-ALA helps re-generate both. It’s also both water and fat soluble, working everywhere in the cell to reduce oxidation.
Astaxanthin is many times more powerful than even C and E, and furthermore provides important protection in the skin and eyes from UV radiation. Not as good as Canthaxanthin for that purpose, but likely a better overall anti-oxidant.
I would be remiss not to mention Ginger and Ecdysterone, which I also use and have tremendous anti-oxidant properties.
That’s what I do, and it has served me well for the better part of the last 15 years. I really ratcheted up my study in this area once I turned 35, and suggest you do as well.
The newest addition is Ginger, and I’m really glad I added it (more on that later). In terms of anti-aging and staying healthy, anti-oxidants are a must have IMO the older you get.
Hope that helps.
