How many antioxidants can i take?

[joey roastbeef]

I take 1 antioxidant a day and 4 fish oil capsule. The serving size for the Antioxidant is 2 pills. The fish oil has 80 IU of vitamin E and the antioxidant has 400 IU. Is this too much vitamin E? Do some fish oil capsules have less Vitamin E? I was also thinking about taking a multivitamin like centrum. Could i take 4 fish oil, 2 antioxidant, and a multivitamin or should i just forget the multivitamin? Also i got some Flax seed oil. Does this have the same effect as the fish oils? I was reading an article about fish oil in Mens Health and i think it said something like your body can process the EPA and DHA better then the ALA in flax.

 

[Girljock]

This is a great question...cause I take vitamin C, Flaxseed oil, Fish oils, Pine Bark Extract, Cranberry, Green Tea...and I'm sure there is something else that I can't think of. I've been wondering if it's worth it...or to just take one like the Pine Bark or the Green Tea....I think they are the strongest. Hope the answer comes.

 

[supersudo]

I take 1 antioxidant a day and 4 fish oil capsule. The serving size for the Antioxidant is 2 pills. The fish oil has 80 IU of vitamin E and the antioxidant has 400 IU. Is this too much vitamin E? Do some fish oil capsules have less Vitamin E? I was also thinking about taking a multivitamin like centrum. Could i take 4 fish oil, 2 antioxidant, and a multivitamin or should i just forget the multivitamin? Also i got some Flax seed oil. Does this have the same effect as the fish oils? I was reading an article about fish oil in Mens Health and i think it said something like your body can process the EPA and DHA better then the ALA in flax.

i say, the more anti-oxidants the better.. just make sure u don't over do it.. like zinc and selenium are anti-oxidants, but they're also minerals that can build up to toxic amounts.. u needn't worry about vitamin E even though it's fat-soluble, u need LOTS of it to overdose..

Vitamins adk CAN build to toxic levels as well..

take ur multi and fish oil.. dont' get centrum though :wink:

the only difference between flaxseed and fish oil is that flax's ALA needs to be converted to EPA and DHA in ur body.. while fish oil has ready-made EPA and DHA..

 

[Madmick]

Eating 4oz. of dark chocolate is better than everything you listed.

I'm not being sarcastic.

 

[thecas]

I hav been shittin blood after just 1 100mg pine bark pill per day. think it thins the blood too much

 

[spiff1242]

The vitamin E in your fish oil prevents the fats from oxidizing. You want a brand with lots of vitamin E.

 

[joey roastbeef]

Eating 4oz. of dark chocolate is better than everything you listed.

I'm not being sarcastic.

does dark chocolate have anti inflammatory properties? I dont really like eating chocolate it upsets my stomach.

 

[Madmick]

does dark chocolate have anti inflammatory properties? I dont really like eating chocolate it upsets my stomach.

No, not persay:
http://powereating.com/tom/index.html

But I am unclear the extent to which free radical damage may affect our voluntary muscles. I don't think it does; I think the damage is usually done to tissue lining and the cardiac system.

However, if it does damage our voluntary muscles, it wouldn't be a stretch to believe that chocolate- having the most potent antioxidative capacity of any food- would contribute to preventing any swelling/inflammation this damage might precipitate/exacerbate.

 

[Vovchanchyn Fan]

like zinc and selenium are anti-oxidants

Just wanted to make a minor correction here - zinc and selenium are not anti-oxidants, they are minerals, however, their presence (notably Selenium) helps boost your bodies production of its own anti-oxidants, specifically glutathione. You can also boost glutathione via cold processed whey protein (add it to your shakes or drinks)...this will also trigger a significant boost to glutathione production.

Also, regarding chocolate as an anti-oxidant: that is correct, however, you need to be eating *dark* chocolate to get most of the benefits....another way is to drink hot cocoa when using pure cocoa (not dutch, or alkalized cocoa) to make it. This is lower fat method than chocolate. Commercial made hot cocoa (instant) mixes uses alkalized cocoa, which is massively lower in anti-oxidants due to the processing.

Finally, regarding omega-3's, Seal oil is the ultimate for actual bio-availability because it is in proportions already matching what is found in the human blood stream and contains DPA, which is significant in its cardiovascular protection and DPA is not found in other omega-3 sources. Krill oil is next best for bio-availability (ready for use, but does not contain DPA), then fish oil (1 step for conversion before use by your body), then flax seed oil (2 steps).

 

[Vovchanchyn Fan]

This is a great question...cause I take vitamin C, Flaxseed oil, Fish oils, Pine Bark Extract, Cranberry, Green Tea...and I'm sure there is something else that I can't think of. I've been wondering if it's worth it...or to just take one like the Pine Bark or the Green Tea....I think they are the strongest. Hope the answer comes.

To help in your decision on what to take - you are mixing apples and oranges in your list above. You have multiple anti-oxidants (flavanoids) and you have 2 omega-3 sources. Omega-3's and anti-oxidants have very different primary purposes, and one will not fill the role of the other.

Omega-3's and your list: You can choose between Flaxseed oil or Fish oil for your omega-3's. A better source would be Krill oil. Best is seal oil but you can't buy it in the US.

Antioxidants in your list: Pine bark extract / Cranberry/ Green Tea. Here it depends what your purpose is, b/c each has different benefits (i.e. cranberry is good for urinary tract issues), green tea is strong in anti-cancer compounds, pine bark has shown reduction in hay fever symptoms. If you simply want the generic anti-oxidant capabilities, then grape seed extract is cheaper and slightly stronger in anti-oxidant values than the ones in your list.

Vit C: You may also want to look into alpha-lipoic acid which works synergystically with Vit C and boosts your bodies production of glutathione, one of your body's main anti-oxidants. However, you have to buy R-alpha lipoic acid (not the plain "alpha lipoic acid" which is either S or a mix of S and R) and it must be stabilized (try Doctors Best K-RALA from iherb.com...very good price and very bioavailable). Alpha lipoic acid works both in lipid (fat) and water, which makes it unique among supplemented anti-oxidants.

 

[jamboo]

take ur multi and fish oil.. dont' get centrum though :wink:

what's wrong with Centrum? i take the Centrum Forte multivitamin

 

[supersudo]

what's wrong with Centrum? i take the Centrum Forte multivitamin

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/showthread.php?t=309883&highlight=Centrum

 

[killer]

Does tomato juice have any antioxidants? I know it's full of lycopene and potassium.

 

[Grady]

Does tomato juice have any antioxidants? I know it's full of lycopene and potassium.

Lycopene is an antioxidant. Also, tomato juice has vitamin C and A, which are also antioxidants.

http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-A00001-01c00hM.html

 

[killer]

Lycopene is an antioxidant. Also, tomato juice has vitamin C and A, which are also antioxidants.

http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-A00001-01c00hM.html

Okay, I guess that answers my question. Thank you.

 

[jamboo]

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/showthread.php?t=309883&highlight=Centrum

all that told me was that some people think Centrum sucks, and that some people think it's good.

has there been any research showing that it isn't absorbed well by the body?

 

[Grady]

I stopped taking a Centrum clone because it had iron in it.
Other than that, I doubt it is a problem (quality wise).

If you are a guy, avoid iron supplements, unless via prescription (ie. you must take iron for a specific medical reason).

 

[Vovchanchyn Fan]

all that told me was that some people think Centrum sucks, and that some people think it's good.

has there been any research showing that it isn't absorbed well by the body?

There have been many studies done regarding bioavailability (how well something is absorbed by the body) but they are almost never done on a per brand basis (esp. since brands offer different formulas, and often reformulate).

What you have to do is to look at the form of either the vitamin or mineral on the brand that interests you, and then you can quickly search and find the relevant studies.

Some of the worst types for bioavailability (and I believe the cheapest for makers to produce as well):

magnesium - magnesium oxide
calcium - calcium carbonate

The best and most bioavailable form for most minerals is usually done via chelation, or the binding of the mineral with an essential amino acid. Your body readily absorbs amino acids, so by binding, they can get the mineral to pass through the intestinal wall and into your blood, for use by your body. However, within chelation, you have other issues including degradation during actual creation, processing and stomach acids (e.g. all chelated forms are not the same for bioavailability).

Albion nutraceuticals is the clear winner in terms of bioavailability due to their dipeptide chelation and proven studies showing they are the most bioavailable form. They've also got roughly 40 patents in this area - they license their products to various vitamin and mineral makers, so you can look for it.

A lot of vitamin makers play the "label effect" which is they just use the cheapest materials to pop some numbers on the side of the package. But 525 mg of magnesium *oxide* is not nearly the same as 525mg Albion dipeptide chelated magnesium. You might hypothetically absorb 95%+ of the Albion version vs. 10% of the magnesium oxide....so even though it looks the same on the label, you really have to factor in whats getting into your blood, vs. what is just passing through your digestive tract and into the toilet.

One a related note, you also have to factor dissolvability of the actual tablet or capsule. If they don't use a good delivery method (reasonable binders with tested dissolution rates), the tablet can literally pass through you undissolved, in which case it really didn't matter what the contents where, they didn't help you.