Let’s face it, time and living takes a toll on our bodies
and skin. Stress, poor
nutrition, lack of exercise, exposure to chemicals, and dry climate are a few
reasons why our bodies do not handle aging well. As we age, our cells deteriorate due to a condition
known as oxidative stress. Those results manifest themselves as eczema, Rosacea,
dry skin, age spots, dermatitis or other skin conditions. Hypertension,
obesity, diabetes, and heart disease as well as inflammatory diseases such as
arthritis and Parkinson's have also been linked to oxidative stress.
To combat oxidative stress, the conventional wisdom suggests that one should take large quantities of anti-oxidants such as vitamins C and E either thru supplements. Eating oranges, dark chocolate, red wine, and spinach are foods high in anti-oxidants to name a few. Current scientific studies show that your body could never ingest enough anti-oxidants, through fruit and vegetables or juices like orange, dark cherry, pomegranate, and cranberry juice. These are all very good for you but can you really drink 2 gallons of juice a day or 87 glasses of red wine daily? Or, can you take enough vitamins or supplements to equal the number of free radicals your body makes every day (3 septillion, incidentally that is a 3, followed by 23 zeros). Therefore, even with that kind of committed effort, one would fail to relieve the large volumes of oxidative stress that permeate the cell structure.
In fact, studies are also suggesting that consuming large amounts of direct anti-oxidants through supplements may result in the anti-oxidants reacting with oxygen in your system, resulting in the production of more oxidants and increased oxidative stress.