There are a lot of different antioxidants, and I take quite a few of them as supplements. I also eat my share of fruits and veggies. More is not always better (and according to some detrimental) when it comes to antioxidants, so I may start taking antioxidants every other day rather than every day. I know every body is unique, but I was curious what other people are doing. Dave Pascoe and Bryan Johnson seem to take quite a few daily. Any thoughts?
Insufficient detail for any comment.
My quick simple answer was going to be “that nobody needs to take any antioxidants”, but I realized it’s not that simple. I’m sure there are a couple antioxidants in the multivitamins I take (vitamin C, Malate, Pterostilbene), and wouldn’t want anyone to avoid an anti inflammatory that might have some antioxidant properties.
Bottom line, I would not specifically take any supplement for the sole purpose of taking an antioxidant.
I was inquiring about the frequency that which other people take antioxidants. I am not looking for feedback on what I do specifically.
Real food has the advantage of tens of thousands of years of human trials and outcomes being thriving cultures… .supplemental anti-oxidants are recent addition with mixed results in trials
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Antioxidant is unfortunately quite non-specific and encompasses a wide variety of supplements and strategies. Some “antioxidant” compounds, for instance, are actually weak pro-oxidants that stimulate the body’s own antioxidant enzymes and therefore have a net “antioxidant” effect. I generally avoid larger-than-RDA doses of direct antioxidants such as vit E and C since there’s minimal or no evidence of benefit along with evidence of harm such as interfering with beneficial adaptations to exercise.
Antioxidant compounds found in whole foods (or maybe extracts such as grape seed extract?) are safer and almost certainly beneficial for health, but I still have questions. For instance, if I eat a serving of antioxidant-rich dark berries before a workout, does that hinder muscle or performance gains by inhibiting pro-oxidant pathways which would have stimulated positive adaptations in muscle and blood vessels?
Alternatively, if certain polyphenols such as found in green tea (EGCG) are weak pro-oxidants, could they be used to enhance exercise adaptations if taken prior to exercise?
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