Research & Technical Articles Antioxidants Vital Super Antioxidant Links Vital Super Antioxidant Free Radicals & Antioxidants Antioxidants FAQs How Much Do I Need? Other Hot Products Chitosan Vital-Zymes Vital Flora Support Vital Super Antioxidant How do I order? Phone 540-286-2400 Internet Secure Online Order Form Ann, who has a tendency to overeat, also enjoys several glasses of wine with dinner. Slightly overweight, she "balances" her occasional ice cream binges with lots of vitamins, especially vitamins C and E. Her cousin Alison, who lives in a populous city, spends two hours in her car each day commuting to and from work. Because one of the women in her car pool smokes cigarettes, she opens the windows to allow the smoke to escape. Alison takes beta carotene (a precursor to vitamin A) sporadically, because she's not sure if it helps or hinders health. Ann's husband, Warren, is a marathon runner who logs an average of 50 miles weekly to keep in shape. Because he believes his diet is healthy and balanced, he doesn't take any vitamin supplements. Overeating and becoming overweight. Alcohol consumption. Air pollution. Cigarette smoke. Excessive exercise. Are these people consuming enough toxin-fighting antioxidant vitamins to effectively ward off free radicals, toxins produced by cells in our body by ... well ... living? The answer isn't easy. Why? Because each day we are exposed to toxins from an array of sources-from food to pesticides and air pollution-as well as free radicals produced by our bodies when we gain weight-even when we breathe. In short, toxins and free radicals are impossible to avoid. How well we thwart these pollutants depends largely on genetics, lifestyle, environment-and the antioxidants in our diet. Outsmarting the Outlaw By now, most of us know about antioxidants, protective chemicals such as beta carotene, and vitamins C and E. During the past decade, these star nutrients have been charged with the ability to protect our health by arresting the production of free radicals. Specifically, antioxidants "work by allowing themselves to be attacked and damaged by free radicals, sparing the cell itself," explains Neal Barnard, MD, in Food for Life (Harmony Books, 1993). Left unchecked, free radicals can rob our health by "rusting" our cells. Over time, this can leave us vulnerable to a plethora of health problems. Indeed, excess free radical production has been linked with more than 50 ailments, ranging from premature aging and clogged arteries (atherosclerosis) to cataracts and cancer. Putting a break on the health-robbing abilities of free radicals isn't always easy-after all, they're a natural by-product of breathing, as well as our external environment. But if you know which antioxidants to consume, how much, and how often-based on your own personal lifestyle-you can begin to outsmart these outlaws. > Antioxidants continued Home | Product Line | Endorsements | FAQs | Research | Order Products VITAL PRODUX™ 44 Mine Rd. Suite 2, PMB 209 Stafford, Virginia  22554  USA 540-286-2400 – FAX: 540-752-4765 E-mail: info@VitalProdux.com Copyright © 1996-2001, VTI, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Text, graphics, and HTML code are protected by US and International Copyright Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated, hosted, or otherwise distributed by any means without explicit permission. Vital Produx™ is a trademark of VTI, Inc. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.