Free radicals aren't always the bad guys. It even seems that popping antioxidants to mop them up might reduce some of the beneficial effects of exercise.
Free radicals have long been thought to contribute to the aging process, which is one reason why people take antioxidant supplements such as vitamin C or E.
However, other studies have hinted that taking antioxidants may hasten death through an unknown mechanism. One possibility is that they interfere with the beneficial effects of exercise, as there are hints that free radicals might be used by the body to prevent cellular damage after exercise.
To investigate further, Michael Ristow at the University of Jena in Germany and his colleagues recruited 40 volunteers, and asked half of them to take 1000 milligrams of vitamin C and 400 international units of vitamin E per day – equivalent to amounts in some vitamin ...
11 May 2009 by Linda Geddes
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