Dr. Packer suggests that as you increase your exercise level or intensity you should also increase your consumption of antioxidants. Fortunately, antioxidants are easily obtained. Food sources include green or orange colored vegetables, citrus fruits, unrefined oils, brewers yeast and whole grains. In other words if you use the food pyramid as a guide, you will provide your body with an excellent supply of antioxidants. For those of us who have a hard time following this guide each and every day, supplements may be the answer to our antioxidant needs.
Antioxidants come in many forms including vitamins, minerals, and herbs.
CoQ10 plays a vital role in energy production and works with vitamin E as primary fat-soluble antioxidants. Alpha lipoic acid is called the universal antioxidant because it is both fat and water-soluble meaning it can fight free radicals both inside and outside the cell. It also has the ability to reactivate both vitamins E and C once they have been used to fight free radicals. Each antioxidant has specific types of free radicals that they are able to counteract. It is therefore important to provide your body with a variety of antioxidants to insure that you are counteracting all the various types of free radicals.