How long do antioxidants stay in your body

There is good evidence that eating a diet that includes plenty of vegetables and fruits is healthy, and official U. Government policy urges people to eat more of these foods.

Rigorous scientific studies involving more than , people combined have tested whether antioxidant supplements can help prevent chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and cataracts. In most instances, antioxidants did not reduce the risks of developing these diseases.

Concerns have not been raised about the safety of antioxidants in food. However, high-dose supplements of antioxidants may be linked to health risks in some cases. Supplementing with high doses of beta-carotene may increase the risk of lung cancer in smokers. Supplementing with high doses of vitamin E may increase risks of prostate cancer and one type of stroke. Antioxidant supplements may interact with some medicines. Tell all of your health care providers about any complementary and integrative health approaches you use.

Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This will help ensure coordinated and safe care. Use of Antioxidant Supplements in the United States. High-dose antioxidant supplements may be harmful in some cases. For example, the results of some studies have linked the use of high-dose beta-carotene supplements to an increased risk of lung cancer in smokers and use of high-dose vitamin E supplements to increased risks of hemorrhagic stroke a type of stroke caused by bleeding in the brain and prostate cancer.

Like some other dietary supplements, antioxidant supplements may interact with certain medications. There is conflicting evidence on the effects of taking antioxidant supplements during cancer treatment; some studies suggest that this may be beneficial, but others suggest that it may be harmful. The National Cancer Institute recommends that people who are being treated for cancer talk with their health care provider before taking supplements.

What the Science Says. Observational and Laboratory Studies Observational studies on the typical eating habits, lifestyles, and health histories of large groups of people have shown that those who ate more vegetables and fruits had lower risks of several diseases, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, and cataracts. Clinical Trials of Antioxidants Because the results of such research seemed very promising, large, long-term studies—many of which were funded by the National Institutes of Health NIH —were conducted to test whether antioxidant supplements, when taken for periods of at least a few years, could help prevent diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer in people.

Although vitamin E supplements were associated with fewer deaths from cardiovascular causes, they did not reduce the overall death rate of study participants. Antioxidant supplements also did not slow changes in cognitive function among women in this study who were aged 65 or older. In fact, vitamin E supplements were associated with an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke in this study.

A updated analysis from this trial, based on a longer followup period of study participants, concluded that vitamin E supplements increased the occurrence of prostate cancer by 17 percent in men who received the vitamin E supplement alone compared with those who received placebo. There was no increase in prostate cancer when vitamin E and selenium were taken together.

A followup study, AREDS2, found that adding omega-3 fatty acids fish oil to the combination of supplements did not improve its effectiveness. Researchers have suggested several reasons for this, including the following: The beneficial health effects of a diet high in vegetables and fruits or other antioxidant-rich foods may actually be caused by other substances present in the same foods, other dietary factors, or other lifestyle choices rather than antioxidants.

The effects of the large doses of antioxidants used in supplementation studies may be different from those of the smaller amounts of antioxidants consumed in foods. Differences in the chemical composition of antioxidants in foods versus those in supplements may influence their effects.

For example, eight chemical forms of vitamin E are present in foods. Vitamin E supplements, on the other hand, typically include only one of these forms—alpha-tocopherol. Alpha-tocopherol also has been used in almost all research studies on vitamin E. For some diseases, specific antioxidants might be more effective than the ones that have been tested. For example, to prevent eye diseases, antioxidants that are present in the eye, such as lutein, might be more beneficial than those that are not found in the eye, such as beta-carotene.

The relationship between free radicals and health may be more complex than has previously been thought. Under some circumstances, free radicals actually may be beneficial rather than harmful, and removing them may be undesirable. The antioxidant supplements may not have been given for a long enough time to prevent chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases or cancer, which develop over decades.

The participants in the clinical trials discussed above were either members of the general population or people who were at high risk for particular diseases. They were not necessarily under increased oxidative stress. Do not use antioxidant supplements to replace a healthy diet or conventional medical care, or as a reason to postpone seeing a health care provider about a medical problem. If you have age-related macular degeneration, consult your health care providers to determine whether supplements of the type used in the AREDS trial are appropriate for you.

Sounds pretty positive, right? And mostly, it is. Sometimes, your body has to kill things. Most of these things are bacteria, viruses, and other invaders, but sometimes it also has to take out your own cells. As they divide, cells accumulate mutations and can start to act funny. Ideally, before they turn into something serious like cancer which is just cell growth gone haywire , your body kills them. The ways in which your immune system attacks both its own cells and foreign microbes are hugely varied, but free radicals are one weapon in the arsenal.

Your immune system is essentially harnessing their destructive power for good. When you get a cut on your finger, one crucial step your body takes to prevent infection is to produce more free radicals in the area.

Almost all inflammation in your body involves free radical production, which is one reason that chronic inflammation can lead to a variety of diseases, especially cancer.

Over time, that exposure to DNA-damaging molecules results in mutations, and those mutations can accumulate to make a cell cancerous. But in small doses, free radicals are crucial. Because you need free radicals to function properly, your body produces its own antioxidants as well as recruiting some from your food to keep their numbers in check.

But crucially, it maintains a balance. One has to do with that balance we talked about: You need a certain supply of reactive molecules in order to maintain your immune system. Some can interfere with cancer treatment medications and therapies so check with your doctor before you start taking any. Some antioxidants supplements such as Vitamin A may even increase the risk of birth defects if taken in high doses.

If you are pregnant, always check with your doctor before you start taking any regular supplements. Boost your immunity with food: How to always eat healthy and feel great. We have a wide range of easy-to-prepare recipe ideas on our website, using nutritious, healthy ingredients, that can help you meet Australian dietary guidelines.

You can also learn more about the link between good nutrition and health. Antioxidants — Better Health Channel. All information contained in this article is intended for general information purposes only. The information provided should not be relied upon as medical advice and does not supersede or replace a consultation with a suitably qualified healthcare professional.

See all our programs and support. Antioxidant supplements — do you need them? What are antioxidants? Should you get antioxidants from food or take supplements?