Antioxidants And Weight Loss

The role of antioxidants in weight loss has been a hot topic recently, and the focus of the fat-loss industry has shifted from stimulent supplements like the now-banned ephedra to "superfoods" like acai berry and green tea.

Many antioxidant products are over-hyped, but there is some sound science behind them, based on their ability to fight what are known as "free radicals." Free radicals – chemical ions in the body introduced through the diet – can be extremely destructive, interfering with digestion and other essential processes. Large numbers of free radicals in the body can result in sluggish digestion and damage to the body's cells over time, accelerating the aging process and leading to weight gain.

Under normal circumstances, the body can get rid of most of the accumulating free radicals on its own, but when the concentration gets too high, your system can get "backed up" and become incapable of effictively dealing with the free-radical pileup, allowing them to begin wreaking havoc.

This is where antioxidant-rich foods and supplements come in. Antioxidants – some of the most powerful being vitamins like C and E – can neutralize free radicals and get the body's metabolic processes back on track. The problem is that many adults do not get anywhere near enough antioxidants in their everyday diet to make up for free tradical damage – few people get the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, and many people do not even take a daily multivitamin.

Supplements containing extracts of substances like acai berry, red wine (resveratrol), green tea and others, can be a good alternative. They have become extremely popular among dieters whose weight gain is at least partly related to a choking off of their normal metabolic processes by free radical damage and can see a visible benefit just by eliminating free radicals.

The promise of these supplementsm meanwhile, is quite attractive: Rather than starve yourself on the latest fad diet or take potentially dangerous stimulents to "burn" fat, just pop a pill containing natural ingredients. As an added benefit, many of the ingredients used in these supplements are widely believed to have benefits beyond mere weight loss, such as reduced blood pressure and cholesterol levels and a strengthened immune system. Antioxidants used in fat loss supplements have also been promoted for their anti-aging properties.

Quality, however, is key: The market for antioxidant supplements has gotten so large and so profitable that many unscrupulous companies have started promoting products that are overpriced and may not even contain the active ingredients they claim. Before buying any antioxidant supplement, be sure to check consumer-watchdog websites for complaints against the manufacturer and look for advice on forums dedicated to weight loss about what brands seem to be performing best.