Internal inflammation is now known to be an underlying factor in almost all chronic disease, for example heart disease. Control it and you should be able to drastically reduce your risk for not just one but several diseases.

Oxidative stress (OS) is a term used to describe internal inflammation and the free radicals produced as a result. Free radicals are neutralized by antioxidants. Thousands of articles over the last few years have carried the message loud and clear to consumers, “Make sure you are taking in enough antioxidants to help counteract internal inflammation.”

Yet some recent studies that have looked at the disease preventive effects of taking antioxidants have had dismal outcomes. So people are getting mixed messages and are wondering, “Does taking in additional antioxidants do any good?”

There are two issues playing out here. One is that in these recent studies, the types of antioxidants used were very dated, and the dosages were low. A study just reported in the November 2008 JAMA gave some participants 400 IU of synthetic alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) and 500 mg of a synthetic ascorbic acid (vitamin C) to see if it lowered cancer or heart disease risk compared to those who didn’t take the supplements. It didn’t lower any risks.

Unfortunately, this study was started in 1997, just before a 1998 study found that natural vitamin E was much better absorbed than synthetic forms.¹ And further study has found that mixed tocopherols are even better at protecting us against free radical damage than just alpha-tocopherol alone.

Synthetic ascorbic acid is absorbed about the same as vitamin C contained in foods, so absorption may not be the reason no benefits were seen, but dosage may be. One study found that those who took in 700 mg or more of vitamin C per day had a 25% lower risk of developing coronary heart disease.²

So, the form of nutrients given and the dosages given MUST be considered to draw an accurate conclusion. From this study, we can conclude that when people were given low dosages of two synthetic vitamins, it was not enough to lower their disease risks.

That should not be surprising to anyone, because of the other big issue at play here, which is this — the sheer quantity of free radicals we are dealing with is astronomical. If you don’t do anything to reduce your oxidative stress or internal inflammation to begin with, it may not be realistic to expect a few antioxidant supplements to protect you.

The answer to inflammation and free radicals isn’t simply to take in as many antioxidants as we can. A much wiser approach is to look at the causes of rampant free radical production and do all we can to address them. Here are some of the factors that raise inflammation, free radicals and oxidative stress:

1. Metabolic imbalances. For example, low thyroid function raises oxidative stress. A disease itself can cause oxidative stress — for example, hypertension was found to be both a cause and effect of OS.³
2. Belly fat is a huge source of inflammation; it puts out inflammatory compounds like IL-6 and TNF-alpha.
3. Diet. Too many sugars and trans fats steer our prostaglandin pathways toward inflammation. In addition, sugars consumed in excess can “glycate” our tissues. Glycation occurs when a sugar molecule attaches to a protein molecule and causes biochemical damage. Glycated tissues cannot function properly and are a source of free radicals. Overheated oils contain free radicals that can increase oxidative stress in our body. If you combine these dietary factors with low antioxidant intake from fruits, vegetables and beans, you have a diet that promotes oxidative stress.
4. Chronic sleep deprivation. Research has shown that lack of sleep causes higher than normal blood glucose levels^4,5 which again takes us back to glycation. Then you get a double whammy since sleep deprivation lowers production of melatonin, a potent antioxidant.⁶
5. Chronic stress can affect all these areas because it increases belly fat⁷ and disrupts sleep.⁸ Increased stress hormones can also disrupt thyroid hormone conversion, causing even more inflammation.
6. Pollution is another cause of increased free radicals in our body. Heavy metals like mercury and lead cause very high free radical production, which is one of the reasons they cause disease. Lead is associated strongly with heart disease, for example.

How high would our antioxidant intake have to be to counter all this? From my experience, it is pretty high. While antioxidants in foods hold great promise for reducing disease risks (see Laura’s article), it only makes sense that we should reduce the free radical production where possible, as well.

Change the diet, manage chronic stress, and by all means be proactive in preventing or reversing metabolic imbalances like low thyroid or insulin resistance using supplements as the needs indicate. For instance, alpha-lipoic-acid (ALA), a potent antioxidant, has been shown to decrease blood pressure and increase insulin sensitivity.⁹

Don’t be discouraged by the headlines on these studies saying that antioxidants don’t work. You can address oxidative stress, but the best approach is to find a health practitioner that can help you measure your level of oxidative stress, look at all the factors contributing it, and develop a comprehensive program to address it.

References

1. Burton G, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 1998;67:669-84.
2. Knekt P, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;80(6):1508-1520.
3. Hypertension. 2006;48; 828-829.
4. Lancet. 1999;354:1435-39.
5. Journal of Clinical Endocrine Metabolism. 2004;89(11):5762-71.
6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12220332.
7. Epel E, et al. Psychosomatic Medicine. 2000(62):623-32.
8. Buckley TM and Schatzberg AF. J Clin Endocrin Metab. 2005.
9. Hypertension. 2002;39:303-307

[Ed. Note: James LaValle is the founding Director of the LaValle Metabolic Institute, one of the largest integrative medicine practices in the country. Dr. LaValle is the author of The Metabolic Code Diet: Unleashing the Power of Your Metabolism for Lasting Weight Loss and Vitality and the Executive Editor of THB’s The Healing Prescription. To learn more, click here.]