Antioxiants don't work.... or do they???

A lot has been said and written about the recent review and report of 68 studies on the mortality rates of those who do and don't take antioxidant supplements. Read the CNN article here.

When they eliminated the "lower quality" studies they were left with 47 studies that actually showed that Vitamin supplement takers had an increased death risk. Worse still, or maybe the reason why supplements may be bad for you is another study from ConsumerLab.com which found that more than half of the multivitamins they tested were either mis-labled, or worse contained toxic ingredients like lead, or toxic levels of vitamins (for an article refering to that study click here)

So where does that leave those of us who are now dedicated fruit juice drinkers? In luck, I believe!!! The good ones do NOT contain synthetic supplements. They are not "spiked" with things like Vitamin C to increase their antioxidant ratings. They are made of whole fruits. There is NO dispute about the health of getting your antioxidants and nutrients from food. Study after study shows those who eat fruits or drink fruit juice reduce their risk of chronic diseases by one-third or more (fruit juice drinkers 76% less likely to get Alzheimers: read here). Whereas vitamin supplement studies show NO impact, or worse in the case of both the ConsumerLab.com study and the review of the 47 "better quality" studies.

So the title of the CNN article (above) and of several other articles that recapped this recent review of supplement studies are mis-characterizing the results. Antioxidants have NOT been proven to have no effect. But you should be careful of vitamin supplements. I personally am a vitamin supplement fan. But have come to realize that they are just that... supplemental to my diet when I feel I need them... but something I should carefully consider before trying any new brand.

The nutrient-dense fruit juice I drink is a company and a product I've come to trust, and I've personally felt better overall since I began drinking it daily several months ago. I've also heard numerous anecdotal health claims from others. Adding whole food non-synthetic antioxiants to your diet is supported by science, so I'll keep drinking my juice, thank you very much!! How about you? Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments area below.