You re a capitalist. Moments before you succumb to the Golden Arches, you eat an orange and take a big gulp of wheat germ oil. Not according to Gary D. Plotnick, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. This oxidation can eventually cause cancer, coronary heart disease and other problems, say experts. Unfortunately, your body, due to pollution, cigarette smoke, food contaminants, depression and even, excessive exercise, can lower its defenses.
Free radicals multiply when the body is weak.
They ll successfully attack healthy as well as unhealthy parts of the body. When exposed to free radicals, fat cells on the blood vessel wall become oxidized, swelling up and eventually clogging the artery. You can bolster your defense against excessive free radicals by taking commercial antioxidants. The most widely known are vitamin C, E and beta carotene. How much of these you should take depends on your age, sex, intensity of exercise and cholesterol levels.