The first line of defense is getting proper exercise and nutrition. Unfortunately, given the wide appeal of fad diets, that's easier said than done, says Dodd. Too many overweight people are nutritionally deficient. As if the well-documented health risks associated with overweight, such as heart disease and diabetes, weren't bad enough, some researchers now believe that overweight people have lowered immunity, perhaps because of deficiencies of vitamins and minerals, especially the antioxidants . Antioxidants such as vitamins C and E are important because they protect our bodies against free radicals, unstable oxygen molecules that damage your body's cells by stealing electrons from healthy molecules.
Antioxidants offer their own electrons, neutralizing free radicals and protecting cells.
According to a study done in Poland, overweight people may not be reaping antioxidant benefits. Researchers at the National Institute of Food and Nutrition in Warsaw studied 102 overweight women and found that the women had significantly lower levels of the antioxidant vitamins C and E, as well as of vitamin A , and a higher prevalence of overall vitamin deficiency than those of normal weight. These deficiencies are at least partially responsible for depressing immunity in overweight individuals, leaving them more susceptible to cancer and infectious illness, say some researchers. And because of abnormal hormone activity, overweight people may also have greater need for antioxidants than people who are not overweight. Studies show that the excess fat in people who are very overweight drives estrogen production up and testosterone down, a deadly combination that scientists believe could be a major factor in certain female reproductive cancers.