Health Benefits of Antioxidants

Because they work in every cell in every part of your body, there doesn't seem to be a health issue that doesn't respond to them. Specific health benefits of antioxidants that people have reported include, but are not limited to, the following:

• better resistance to colds and flu
• softer, younger-looking skin
• relief from allergies
• weight loss


• increased energy
• relief from asthma
• improved circulation


• reduced high blood pressure
• improved digestion
• relief from arthritis
• help in controlling diabetes


• improved sleep
• relief from menstrual symptoms
• better memory, concentration

As you can see, the benefits of antioxidants can have an impact on just about any part of your health.

In addition, studies indicate that antioxidants protect you against the oxidative stress that's the primary cause of degenerative diseases. You'll learn more about this as you continue to explore this site.

"The Antioxidant Miracle makes it possible…
to prevent and perhaps even eradicate many of the
degenerative diseases that were once considered
an inevitable part of aging."

Dr. Lester Packer, PhD.

Benefits of Antioxidants
Include the Prevention of Many
Degenerative Diseases

For many people, degenerative diseases (diseases of old age) — such as heart disease, cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer's and others — are an inevitable part of old age and remain a staple on the electronic medical records of many people. Statistics seem to bear this out, as the rates of these degenerative diseases continue to climb.

These are diseases that can all be prevented by increasing the antioxidant level of your diet. Antioxidants have been shown to significantly reduce the risk of all of the diseases listed below, and more than 60 others! If you eat a diet full of antioxidant-rich foods and use antioxidant supplements daily, you can avoid being one or more of these statistics.

Heart Disease. Statistics show that about 81 million Americans have been diagnosed with some form of cardiovascular disease. Every year, there are 650,000 deaths attributed to this disease, 27 percent of all deaths.

Cancer. There are over 1.3 million new cases of cancer every year, and over 500,000 deaths.

Immune System. Arthritis, gout, lupus or fibromyalgia afflict over 46 million adults, two-thirds of them under the age of 65. By the year 2030, the numbers for arthritis sufferers alone are projected to climb up to 67 million Americans over the age of 18, reflecting a 40 percent increase over current numbers.

Diabetes. Almost 24 million people in America — 7.8 percent of the population — have diabetes.

Alzheimer's. Over 5 million people in the United States currently have symptoms of Alzheimer's. This number is expected to increase by half a million every year as the baby-boomers become senior citizens.

Glaucoma. The leading cause of blindness in the United States, glaucoma affects 4 million Americans. Approximately 120,000 of these people have become blind from this disease.

Macular Degeneration. 10 percent of people between the ages of 66 and 74 have macular degeneration, 30 percent of the population from 75-85 years old.

Benefits of Antioxidants:
Prevention of Heart Disease

There are really only two things that you need to know about the causes of heart disease:

High cholesterol levels do not cause heart disease. Although high LDL-cholesterol levels have been (incorrectly) associated with an increased risk of heart attacks, there is actually NO correlation between the two — statistics bear this out. What you're being told in the media is nothing but a relentless marketing campaign by the pharmaceutical industry to sell cholesterol-lowering drugs.

The most effective plan for heart attack prevention is regular exercise and a unprocessed, nutrient-rich diet full of antioxidants. Antioxidants prevent the free radical attacks to your arteries that are the root cause of atherosclerosis and almost all cardiovascular diseases.

Benefits of Antioxidants
Include the Prevention and Treatment
of Cancer and Many Other Diseases

Studies have suggested that antioxidants are useful in a number of ways in regards to cancer. Many studies have shown that eating lots of fruits and vegetables can decrease the risk of many types of cancer.

Studies have also shown that cancer patients typically have lower levels of these phytonutrients in their blood. Other benefits of antioxidants for people with cancer include improving the effectiveness of chemotherapy, while decreasing the side effects.

It's Your Choice:
Prescriptions or Prevention?

The Fallacy of Treating Health Problems with Prescription Drugs. The bar graph below shows the number of Americans that take prescription drugs for chronic health problems by age group.

The average American, aged 19 to 64, now takes close to 12 prescription drugs every year; the average senior typically fills over 30 prescriptions, and even children are taking an average of 4 prescriptions annually!

Prescription drugs pave the way for your health to deteriorate even further, because they only treat symptoms; they do nothing about the underlying imbalance in your body that created the disease in the first place. They are, by nature, toxic substances that are sure to cause problems in other parts of your body.

As we learn more about the benefits of antioxidants, we are still discovering just how much they have to do with our health. We now know that not only do they keep free radicals and oxidative stress (the major causes of aging) under control, they can also activate or suppress genes (DNA) that control cell activity. This means that, even if you've inherited a predisposition for a particular disease like cancer, antioxidants can help your body overcome that. This is preventive medicine in its truest sense!

"There are a lot of issues that my
colleagues in antiaging medicine disagree on,
but there's one that has near unanimous agreement:
Damage from free radicals is at the heart of aging."

Robert C. Atkins, M.D.

Quick Links to FAQ's About Antioxidants:

• What are antioxidants?

• Why are they so important?

• How do they work?

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All rights reserved. No reproduction without permission.
This website is written as a source of information only. The information found here should by no means be considered a substitute for the advice of a qualified medical professional, who should always be consulted before beginning any new diet, exercise or other health program. All efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the information found here. The author expressly disclaims responsibility for any adverse effects arising from the use of or application of the information contained herein.

SBI!