The 100-Calorie Secret - Never Diet Again!

Confusing weight loss with the need for antioxidants, massive vitamin supplements and detox plans only cause loss of focus for people trying to lose weight and no sustainable weight loss at all.

"Anti Oxidants Supplements Prevent Metabolic Benefits of Exercise"
(May 2009, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science)

Anti-oxidants including vitamins A, C, E and beta carotene are thought to slow down the effects of aging by neutralizing free radicals that cause cell damage. They may also prevent cancer.  One  would think that we should consume as much as of them as possible. The problem is that although the antioxidants that  occur in nature from the foods we eat, may not be the same in the supplement form. Once thought to be harmless, they appear to be toxic at  high levels. (Previous post on anti oxidants and health)

The American Heart Association, and the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Science  does not recommend using antioxidant supplements "until more complete data are in," They conclude that Vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, and beta-carotene should come from food, not supplements

Vitamin E is found in vegetable oils, walnuts, peanuts, almonds, seeds, olives, avocado, wheat germ, liver, and leafy green vegetables. It protects the membranes that safeguard our cells from damage. 

Vitamin C is in  to citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit as well as  broccoli, leafy green vegetables, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, cantaloupe, and strawberries. It scavenges free radicals that are in watery environment, such as inside your cells.

Beta-carotene is found in cantaloupe, mangoes, papaya, pumpkin, peppers, spinach, kale, squash, sweet potatoes, and apricots. It protects energized oxygen from attacking our cells.

Selenium is in seafood, beef, pork, chicken, Brazil nuts, brown rice, and whole wheat bread
It is also protects cells from energized oxygen.

Here are the daily requirement of these anti oxidants:

•    The Alpha-Tocopherol Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study (ATBC) involved Finnish men were given beta-carotene, vitamin E, a combination of the two, or a placebo. After eight years, the vitamin E  group had 32 percent fewer diagnoses of prostate cancer. . However, after only four years, there were 16 percent more cases of lung cancer in the beta-carotene-only group.

•    In the Carotenoid and Retinol Efficacy Trial (CARET), volunteers given either Beta Carotene or placebo. This study was stopped early due to the fact that that there was a 28-percent increase in lung cancer rates in the beta-carotene group.

•    The Physicians' Health Study (PHS) of 22,000 physicians showed neither a protective effect nor a toxic effect after 12 years of follow-up from taking  50 mg of beta-carotene.

•    A 1997 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 60 to 200 mg of  vitamin E a day strengthened the  immune system but 800 mg of vitamin E resulted in worse immunity than receiving no vitamin E at all.

•    A study reported in May 2009 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that  taking anti-oxidants supplements prevented the health-promoting effects of exercise.  The authors noted that  exercise promotes longevity and ameliorates type 2 diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance but taking antioxidant supplements prevents this improvement.

More Great Links

• FDA's Dietary Supplement OverviewNational Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary SupplementsNational Library of Medicine: Dietary Supplements, Complementary or Alternative Medicines

• USDA's Food and Nutrition Information Center
• Nutrition.Gov - Online federal government information on nutrition