Are you looking for a natural way to help protect your body against serious illnesses, including certain types of cancer and heart disease risks? An important step is to make sure that you are getting plenty of antioxidants. These nutrients can provide crucial protection against free radicals, which are produced whenever your body breaks down food or is exposed to things like radiation or cigarette smoke. Free radicals can increase your risk of disease due to cellular damage caused by oxidative stress. Antioxidants can help protect your cells and boost your immune system for overall well-being.

While you can get antioxidants from food sources, you can also consider the health benefits of vitamins and antioxidant supplements. The question is, what are the best antioxidant vitamin supplements and subscriptions available today?

Our picks for the best antioxidant supplements

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What foods contain antioxidant vitamins?

One way to increase your body’s production of antioxidants is to eat the right foods. Vegetarian meals and vegan snacks allow you to enjoy fruit that is rich in antioxidants, and some of the most common dietary sources of antioxidants include:

• Vitamin A – This vitamin is commonly found in eggs, milk and butter.
• Vitamin C – Most fruits and vegetables will increase your vitamin C intake.
• Vitamin E – Find this vitamin in nuts and seeds, including almonds and peanuts, as well as green leafy vegetables.
• Beta Carotene – You can find this important nutrient in carrots, peas, peaches, sweet potatoes, and mangoes.
• Lutein – Look for lutein in green leafy vegetables, including spinach and cabbage.
• Selenium – You can often find selenium in different grains and pastas, including rice and corn.
• Lycopene – This carotenoid is most commonly found in red fruits, including tomatoes, grapefruits, and watermelons.

By fortifying your diet with any of the above fruits, vegetables, and vitamins, you can help boost your antioxidant levels. If you want an additional way to reap the beneficial effects of antioxidants, consider these antioxidant dietary supplements.

The 6 Best Antioxidant Supplements

What are Antioxidants?

When shopping for the best antioxidant supplements, it can also be helpful to learn more about antioxidants in general.

Essentially, antioxidants are molecules that fight free radicals in your body. Free radicals are the byproducts of the process your body uses to turn food into energy. They are very unstable molecules and can cause real damage if they become too concentrated; for example, damage from free radicals can increase the risk of certain cancers and heart disease, and it can also lead to macular degeneration and premature aging of your skin. Making sure you’re getting plenty of antioxidants is a great way to help maintain healthy skin.

Since free radicals are constantly being produced in your body, it is crucial to maintain balance with a regular production of antioxidants. Antioxidants help protect your cells by counteracting oxidation caused by free radicals. If you don’t have enough antioxidants in your diet, supplementing with antioxidants can help.

How do antioxidant supplements work?

You can get antioxidants by eating the right foods, including foods that contain the vitamins and nutrients listed above. However, diet nutrition may not be enough to make sure you get the levels of antioxidants you need. Antioxidant supplements give you super-concentrated doses of antioxidants or the nutrients your body needs to make its own antioxidants.

How to choose the best antioxidant supplements

When looking for the best vitamin supplements for antioxidants, there are a few factors to consider.

• Vitamins and nutrients. What exactly do you get from your antioxidant supplement?
• Additives and other ingredients. Does your supplement only consist of natural ingredients or is it made up of a lot of sweeteners, preservatives, etc. unnecessary?
• Evidence and research. Many of the best antioxidant supplements will include scientific data to demonstrate their effectiveness. Always look for independent lab test results on the packaging or on the brand’s website.
• Value. Consider not only the price, but also any guarantees or money-back guarantees on offer.

Safety of Antioxidant Supplements and Side Effects

While having a robust antioxidant production is certainly beneficial, there is certainly such a thing as overdoing it. In fact, there are a number of risks associated with taking large doses of antioxidant supplements. Abuse of antioxidant supplements can:

• Decrease your performance when you exercise.
• Increase the risk of lung cancer in smokers due to the high levels of beta-carotene.
• Increase the risk of prostate cancer if they cause high levels of vitamin E.
• Pregnant women are not advised to take vitamin A supplements, which may increase the risk of birth defects.
• Interact with certain prescription drugs.

When choosing to take any type of dietary supplement, it is important to do your research in order to understand the potential benefits and the potential risks. Talk to your doctor to determine if antioxidant supplements are right for you.

Josh hurst is a journalist, critic and essayist. He lives in Knoxville, TN, with his wife and three sons. It covers natural health, nutrition, supplements, and clean energy. His writings have appeared in Health, Shape, and Remedy Review.