Antioxidants: Our Natural Protectors

As health-care costs continue to soar, it's important to seriously consider supplementing your foods with antioxidants. Take coenzyme Q₁₀ (CoQ₁₀), for example. This is a vitamin-like antioxidant necessary for energy production; it's proven to lower gum disease, support healthy immunity and boost muscle performance. Any insufficiency of CoQ₁₀ can endanger the heart. Further, statin drugs commonly prescribed for lowering cholesterol can block the body's intrinsic CoQ₁₀ synthesis, making CoQ₁₀ supplementation even more imperative.

The carotenoids are, like vitamin E, fat-soluble antioxidants. One of them lycopene seems to help against prostate cancer, lowering PSA (prostate-specific antigen, a marker for prostate problems) and prostate tumour size. Lutein, another carotenoid, is found concentrated in the retina, that thin layer at the back of the eye that takes high doses of oxidative light radiation. Lutein is being researched for its effect against retinal macular degeneration, a common eye problem.