What the body has done to combat the paradox is to design enzymes and systems to scavenge free radicals. The key here appears to be that, when you age, you lose that ability, and the free radicals start doing bad things. In Tate's view, the body's natural scavenging ability may adequately protect it from free radical damage, but with age, the body may have difficulty defending itself and thus be more prone to free radical damage. Figuring out how to combat the effects of free radical damage in the aging body was a research goal for Arthur C. Cosmas, Ph.D., of the University of Connecticut. We know physical activity causes the generation of free radicals.
Younger animals have the antioxidant enzymes to neutralize free radicals before they cause damage.
But as an organism ages, its ability to produce enzymes seems to diminish and it's less able to mend. According to Cosmas, reducing the intensity of activity after the threshold age is beneficial because, at lower intensity, fewer free radicals will be produced and the body may be able to deal with them in lower concentration. Opinions at the conference varied. Research conducted with 'mainstream' nutrients such as vitamins C and E have produced contradictory findings, although studies done with elderly subjects have been promising. In general, Kanter suggests that the benefit of antioxidants may be greatest for those middle-aged and older whose bodies have diminishing amounts of antioxidants naturally produced in the body.