Can You Overdose on Antioxidants?

Megan O. Steintrager


Our current Doable Challenge encourages upping dietary antioxidants for health and longevity, so when I read the headline "Antioxidants: Friend or foe?" on the cover of the April issue of Consumer Reports onHealth, I got a bit nervous. The article explains that it's not always advisable, and can even be unhealthy, to down tons of antioxidants in supplement form. Fortunately, the take-away message lines up nicely with our challenge: "Focus on food instead." Here's the nugget of wisdom from the article that I circled as a reminder to eat my greens, and purples, and reds, and yellows, and blues: "As scientists continue to explore how antioxidants work in the body, the best health advice remains the simplest: Make sure your diet contains plenty of varieties of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes."

Do you take antioxidant supplements or eat packaged foods fortified with antioxidants?


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