Antioxidants are the talk of the town in the anti-aging world.

You can find all kinds of products in drugstore aisles claiming to contain antioxidants. These products range from nutritional supplements to an increasing number of topical skincare solutions.

But what are antioxidants? How do they relate to free radicals and free radical scavengers? And what’s the connection between them?

You might remember some of these ideas from your high school chemistry class. But if you’re like most people, you don’t think much about chemistry in your daily life.

If you could use a quick review, read on.

What Are Free Radicals?

Most molecules have an even number of electrons. But free radicals have an odd number of electrons, which makes them incredibly unstable.

Because they’re unstable molecules, free radicals react easily with other molecules in the body to create long molecular chains. And these long chains can wreak havoc on you.

Free radicals are naturally created in the body during exertion and are a byproduct of metabolism (a process called oxidation).

A free radical scavenger is a molecule that helps protect your body’s cells from the damage that free radicals can cause. Antioxidants are among the most well-known free radical scavengers.

Why Are Free Radicals Harmful?

Free radicals aren’t necessarily harmful to you. In fact, your body creates them when you’re doing healthy activities like exercising.

The problem occurs when there are too many free radicals in your body. This produces an inflammatory response known as oxidative stress.

Think of oxidative stress as your body rusting. 

If oxidative stress is too high and free radicals multiply to a point where your body can’t regulate them, health problems can occur.

What Role Do Free Radical Scavengers Play in the Body?

An antioxidant is a compound that can stabilize free radicals. They act as electron donors, able to neutralize free radicals without affecting their own stability.

To use another metaphor, antioxidants are like a mother caring for an unruly toddler. The mother sacrifices her own inner resources to minimize the chaos caused by the child. Her calm nature helps to reign in the child’s mischief. Together, they find balance, and the environment around them remains safe and stable.

Antioxidants help to contain the wild activity of free radicals, preventing them from overwhelming your system, avoiding oxidative stress, and creating balance.

How Can You Increase Your Antioxidant Intake?

Here are a couple of ways to pack extra antioxidants into your day.

Think in color!

You’ve probably heard the recommendation to eat various colors daily. This is excellent advice for including plenty of antioxidants in your diet.

If you need some inspiration, choose some of these colorful, antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables to add to your daily menu:

• Red: Cranberries, strawberries, and raspberries
• Green: Kale, spinach, and green beans
• Blue: Blueberries and blackberries
• Orange: Oranges and carrots

You can even include some brown antioxidants in your diet — treat yourself to dark chocolate! (Yum!)

A handful of berries at breakfast or during a midday snack is a great way to add some extra free radical scavengers to your daily routine.

A fruit smoothie with a handful of spinach leaves will also provide a healthy antioxidant boost.

Finding ways to add these antioxidant powerhouses to your diet is critical to finding a healthy balance between free radicals and antioxidants.

Of course, you should always try to get your free radical scavengers by eating fruits and vegetables whenever possible. But when you cannot, nutritional supplements can fill the gaps in your diet.

Avoid Overconsumption

Just as not getting enough antioxidants can lead to oxidative stress, getting too many antioxidants isn’t healthy either.

Ironically, antioxidants at high doses can actually convert into pro-oxidants.

High doses of antioxidants, combined with too many free radicals, can be very detrimental to your health.

Too many free radical scavengers can also cause you to miss out on the positive benefits of having a healthy number of free radicals in your body.

During a vigorous workout, for example, we naturally produce free radicals that can help our bodies cope with the stress of such exercise. When free radicals and a healthy inflammatory response are present in the body at a controllable rate, this balance benefits our bodies.

But when our bodies have chronically high levels of free radicals and lose control of a healthy inflammatory response, the imbalance can potentially lead to health problems.

Free Radical Defense Based on Your Unique Genetic Code

As with anything else, how well your body protects itself from free radicals and oxidative stress depends partially on the genetics you were born with. 

While everyone can benefit from antioxidants in their diet, some people need to be especially sure they are getting not only enough but also the right kinds.

For example, variants such as GSTP1 (Glutathione S-transferase P1), SOD2 (Superoxide Dismutase 2), NQ01 (NAD (P)H Quinone Dehydrogenase 1), and PON1 (Paraoxonase 1) all directly affect the body’s need for antioxidant support.

Fortunately, science shows that these genetic vulnerabilities can be offset through a nutrigenomics or precision nutrition approach. 

At SNiP Nutrigenomics, our DNA test includes some of the heaviest-hitting, nutritionally actionable genes impacting free radical defense. Depending on your unique formulation, your precision supplement may contain some of the best nutrients for fighting free radicals, such as ac-11®, alpha lipoic acid, berberine, green tea extract, and milk thistle, as well as cherry, blueberry, beetroot, raspberry, cranberry, carrot, and acai juice extracts—all of which are antioxidant superfoods. 

Depending on your results, your customized supplement is specifically formulated to support you with the precise nutrients your body needs in the right forms and amounts so you are not getting too much or too little of a good thing. 

Discover your unique free radical defense needs today.

Free Radicals and Antioxidants: The Right Balance for You

Like many things in our lives, antioxidant supplementation is all about balance. That’s why SNiP products don’t just pack in the antioxidants — they include the right amount for your body.

Your personalized wellness supplement from SNiP contains numerous juice powder extracts with powerful antioxidants, such as blueberries, goji berries, cranberries, raspberries, and more.

Start your journey with CODE Complex today!