Every Person's Guide to Antioxidants

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"Smythies takes an extremely detailed and comprehensive look at the current scientific knowledge of the role of antioxidants in human health. A book for the educated layperson that's well balanced and free of the hype that often accompanies the topic of antioxidants!" --Balz Frei, editor of Natural Antioxidants in Human Health and Disease "Smythies clearly explains the basic science of antioxidants and then describes the actual studies supporting the importance of these nutrients to health promotion and disease prevention, providing a strong foundation for his practical advice about diet and supplements. It's a rare treat to see full citations provided for follow-up by the interested reader." --Jeffrey B. Blumberg, Chief, Antioxidants Research Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutritional Research Center on Aging, Tufts University What are antioxidants? What do they do? Should you be taking them? How much is enough, or too much? Dr. John Smythies explores these and other questions you need to have answered about antioxidants in Every Person's Guide to Antioxidants. Oxidants are naturally occuring chemicals in our bodies that derive from oxygen to facilitate essential biochemical processes. However, most oxidants are potentially toxic molecules and the body contains a number of antioxidants for protection against these toxic effects. Overproduction of oxidants, or underproduction of antioxidants, leads to oxidative stress, which has been linked to a wide range of chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's. Smythies thoroughly evaluates current scientific work on this subject and suggests that a high proportion of many of these diseases can be prevented, or their onset delayed, by proper intake of antioxidants. He examines the pros and cons of the debate over how this necessary intake should be achieved, by eating more fruits and vegetables or by taking supplements in pill form. Smythies surveys the toxicity of antioxidants and recommends under what circumstances they should be given with caution or not at all. He also discusses whether taking supplements requires medical supervision and lists good sources of antioxidants in fruits and vegetables. John R. Smythies, M.D., heads the Neurochemistry Division of the Brain and Perception Laboratory, University of California, San Diego. He is also a senior research fellow at the Institute of Neurology in London and emeritus professor at the University of Alabama Medical Center, Birmingham. A former president of the International Society for Psychoneuroendocrinology and consultant to the World Health Organization, Smythies is the author of 13 books and more than 200 scientific papers.