What are Antioxidants and aren’t Free Radicals hippies from the 60’s?

Unless you work in the field it’s unlikely you just know what these two are.

And many self-care and beauty products are sold on the idea that they contain Antioxidants…

but they don’t make it clear what they are.

Usually, its unclear intentionally (thank you, marketing!) so you feel it’s something you have to have, and so then you trust the nice cosmetic company to protect your skin. Or maybe, legitimately, the company’s copywriters and/or staff aren’t so sure either.

Could someone just explain Antioxidants & Free Radicals in clear terms???

Well, yeah!

Like what do they do? Where do they come from? How do we have more?

… oh, and why do we care?

The Facts!

Antioxidants are a kind of chemical that are either naturally or artificially made and they delay or prevent certain types of injury to our cells. Free Radicals are highly unstable chemicals that develop naturally and can damage our cells and tissue. 

(That’s in the most non-technical terms, but staying true to both and their processes in our bodies.)

We have (and need) both in our body. Each have their place and their role in our healthy day to day metabolic processes. The problem is having too much or too little of one or the other.

The major threat of free radicals to humans is from the urban environment, diet & lifestyle. Diets high in sugar and processed foods; excessive alcohol and tobacco consumption; exposure to sunlight, cigarette smoke, and air pollution are very common causes of free radical generation. Free radicals, when exposed to body tissues like the skin, induce oxidative stress.

And the takeaway for now:

Oxidative stress damages the body’s cells, protein and DNA, and long term exposure can create chronic inflammation and a host of unwanted diseases…

Why do we care??

Excessive Free Radicals are attributed to:

– Premature aging

– Wrinkle formation due to smoking and prolonged exposure to sunlight

– Alzheimer disease

– Skin cancers like melanoma, squamous cell cancer, basal cell cancer

– Heart disease, atherosclerosis

– Diabetes & Parkinson disease

Can I get Antioxidants through food? And not through skin care products?

100%. Yes. Definitely.

[editor: In fact, it’s probably for the best as it’s working from the inside out. There’ll be a cascade of other benefits by eating well and not just applying good stuff to your skin! We at Maeterna are big supporters of having a self-care diet routine to complement your self-love skin routine!]

The classic natural antioxidants are present in many fruits and most vegetables. Surprise, surprise!

Fruits and veggies contain chemicals like:

– Vitamins C and E, Carotenoids, Selenium, CoQ10

– Lycopene, Zeaxanthin, Lutein, Beta carotene

– Manganese, Glutathione, Phytoestrogens, Polyphenols, Lipoic acid, Flavonoids

Which natural foods are rich in antioxidants?

1. Vitamin C: Brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cantaloupe, leafy green veggies (beet, mustard, turnip and collards, bell peppers, honey dew, kiwi, kale, orange, papaya, strawberries, tomatoes and snow peas.
2. Vitamin E: Swiss chard, avocado, leafy greens (turnip, mustard, beet) red peppers, peanuts, sunflower seeds, spinach
3. Carotenoids (lycopene and beta carotene): asparagus, apricots, bell peppers. broccoli, beets, cantaloupe, carrots, kale, turnip, mangoes, peaches, oranges, pumpkin, squash, sweet potato, tomatoes, tangerine, and grapefruit
4. Selenium: Nuts, shellfish, beef, barley, poultry, brown rice, and barley
5. Zinc: Beef, seafood (shrimp, sesame seeds, chickpeas pumpkin seeds, cashews, lentils and cereals
6. Polyphenols: Apples, onions, red wines, cocoa, tea, berries, peanuts, grapes, and strawberries

Do you have scientific data regarding antioxidants?

Yes! Love dropping science.

Reader warning: scientific studies review- venture in if you feelin a bit nerdy!

Despite the wide consumption of antioxidants to prevent disease, many studies have not found any significant benefit of high doses of antioxidants in disease prevention.

1. Recent studies that include the Women’s Health Study did not find that vitamin E supplements reduced the risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, cataracts or age-related macular degeneration. However, vitamin E supplements were associated with fewer deaths.
2. More recent studies have also found that in most instances antioxidant supplements did not help to prevent disease. For example, The Women’s Antioxidant Cardiovascular study also did not find benefits of vitamin C, E or beta carotene supplements on heart disease or stroke, lowering the risk of diabetes or cancer. More important these antioxidants did not improve or slow down cognitive function in older women.
3. The Physicians’ Health Study ll did not see any health benefits of vitamin C or E on the reduction of stroke, heart disease, risk of death, cancer or cataracts. In fact in this study, vitamin E supplements were associated with a higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke.
4. The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) found that vitamin E and selenium, either alone or in combination, did not prevent cancer of the prostate. an updated analysis of the results with longer follow up concluded that vitamin E supplements were associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer.
5. The Age-Related Eye Disease study, however, did find a beneficial effect of antioxidants. The combination of zinc, vitamins C and E and beta carotene lowered the risk of age-related macular degeneration. However, the same study did not show any benefit of antioxidants at preventing or slowing down the progression of cataracts.
6. Another study conducted by the NIH (part of the study mentioned in 5) observed that adding omega fatty acids to vitamin C, E and beta carotene did not improve the effectiveness. However, the two carotenoids Lutein and Zeaxanthin did lower the risk and progression of age-related macular degeneration.

Reasons why antioxidants may not have worked (our medical writer insists on this section to accompany the above)

1. The beneficial effect from a diet high in fruits and veggies may be due to other substances rather than antioxidants
2. The doses used in the studies may be different from those obtained from the diet.
3. There are many types of the same vitamin supplements made by different manufacturers, and perhaps the studies used the wrong supplement.
4. Supplements may be fake or counterfeit, which is not uncommon in the food and cosmetic industry
5. The antioxidant supplement in the studies may not have been given for a long time.
6. The participants in the studies may have already developed disease at the start of the study or they may have been high-risk patients who would have developed the disease irrespective of the use of the supplement
7. Finally, the relationship between disease and antioxidants is more complex and a lot more needs to be understood

Conclusion

If you were unsure about Antioxidants & Free Radicals hopefully you have a much clearer idea now!

They’re both chemicals (yes, there are natural chemicals… like these ones!) and they are generated within our body.

Antioxidants are important to us, because they can help prevent damage to our cells. When Free Radicals are too free, that is, when we have an imbalance of them in relation to our Antioxidant levels it creates Oxidative Stress on our bodies.

We need them both for natural metabolic processes, but extended Oxidative Stress can not only show up as wrinkles or premature aging on our skin, but they can lead to a host of inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases.

Protect your skin and your self by:

• Eating foods high in Antioxidants;
• Moderating external factors which produce Free Radicals;
• and Applying self-care products like Maeterna (which is has its Antioxidants listed here) to help give your face a natural healthy glow.

* (Free Radicals may also form after exposure to the sun, ultraviolet light and after exercise. In many cases, these chemicals are also formed by certain body cells to kill bacteria and other foreign agents like viruses and fungi. However, the body does have the ability to control the formation of free radicals and can also rapidly scavenge them, so that they do not remain in the body and cause harm to normal tissues.)

References

1. Why antioxidant therapies have failed in clinical trials. M Davies A, G Holt A.
2. Mortality in randomized trials of antioxidant supplements for primary and secondary prevention: systematic review and meta-analysis. Bjelakovic G et al. JAMA. (2007)
3. Why antioxidant therapies have failed in clinical trials. M Davies A et al. J Theor Biol. (2018)
4. The antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and anti-inflammatory activities of Spirulina: an overview. Wu Q et al. Arch Toxicol. (2016)
5. Administration of antioxidants in cancer: debate of the decade. Khurana RK et al. Drug Discov Today. (2018)
6. Phytochemistry, pharmacology, and clinical trials of Morus alba. Chan EW et al. Chin J Nat Med. (2016)
7. 7.Natural antioxidants in the treatment and prevention of diabetic nephropathy; a potential approach that warrants clinical trials. Al-Waili N et al. Redox Rep. (2017)
8. Wine and its metabolic effects. A comprehensive review of clinical trials. Fragopoulou E, Choleva M, Antonopoulou S, Demopoulos CA.
9. Efficacy of vitamin and antioxidant supplements in prevention of cardiovascular disease: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Myung SK, Ju W, Cho B, Oh SW, Park SM, Koo BK, Park BJ; Korean Meta-Analysis Study Group. BMJ. 2013 Jan 18;346
10. Antioxidants and risk of dementia: recent insights and future opportunities. Koch M, Dhana K, Jensen MK.