THE EAT SMART, THINK SMART BRAIN ANTIAGING PLAN: ANTIOXIDANT SMART SYNERGY

Antioxidant nutrients behave like nutritional smart bombs. They zone in on free radicals and entrap them, thereby minimizing the damage they do.

You can release the power of smart antioxidant nutrients only when you understand that each one helps magnify the power of the others contained in the Eat Smart, Think Smart antioxidant plan. The interaction of the antioxidants in the plan amplify its ability to neutralize free radicals. In some cases, one antioxidant can actually renew another antioxidant used up while quenching free radicals. Vitamin C, for example, can reenergize an oxidized molecule of vitamin E. Likewise, many of the B-complex vitamins provide antioxidant benefits in their own right and work as coantioxidants by permitting other antioxidants, such as beta-carotene and vitamin E, to keep scavenging and defusing free radicals much longer than would otherwise be possible.

This mutual-protection and magnification effect among various antioxidants, known as synergy, provides powerful protection against free-radical damage and even affords protection against the generation of free radicals by antioxidants themselves. Old or improperly stored vitamins and minerals can actually oxidize, or turn rancid, essentially creating the very toxic free-radical compounds that they're supposed to squelch!

Vitamin C, for example, can oxidize into a toxic substance, DHA (dehydroascorbic acid). Vitamin E can turn into tocopherol quinone, an extremely toxic compound. Beta-carotene can oxidize into a pernicious substance that can damage cell membranes.

All too often, these and other antioxidant supplements can go bad in the bottle if stored under damp, hot, or brightly illuminated conditions. That's why I recommend purchasing antioxidants from reputable manufacturers (a good sign is that they've been in national distribution for at least ten years), storing them in a cool, dark, and dry place and always taking them in concert with each other (see also sources listed in Appendix I). The principle of synergy requires that if you take vitamin C, you must also take vitamin E, beta-carotene, and Â-complex vitamins (some of which behave like antioxidants) to help reconstitute the antioxidants that would otherwise be sacrificed as they perform their job as free-radical quenchers.

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