Antioxidants

When we perform high intensity exercise, our bodies create chemicals called free radicals. These chemicals can damage your genetic material, make LDL-cholesterol (ie. The “bad” one) more likely to get blocked in artery walls, even change the membrane of your cells, affecting what can enter and leave them. Obviously, we want to limit the production of these substances but they are inevitable by-products not only of exercise but of metabolizing food, breathing air, and many other physiological processes. Antioxidants are substances that “quench” free radicals. They donate electrons to them and render them harmless. So quick, everyone slam 5000mg of vitamin C STAT!... Not so fast. While exercise does upregulate free radicals, it also upregulates your body’s own antioxidants. Supplementing with a high dose of antioxidants can affect your body’s ability to produce its own and impair performance as a result. So what’s the optimal antioxidant intake? You’re going to get sick of hearing this answer: Eat a well-balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables.

-Lyns