Fruits and vegetables still tops for oxidation protection - Brief Article

Nutrition Health Review, Summer, 2003

Some people assume that it is fine to have a hamburger and french fries for lunch if they are getting the nutrients they need from a daily multivitamin. A study at Tufis University, however, suggests that this is not the case.

The research team at the Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture (U.S.D.A.) Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts gave a supplement to healthy men who typically consumed only two to three servings of fruits and vegetables daily a supplement. The supplement contained as much folic acid and antioxidant vitamins C and E as found in five servings of fruits and vegetables; however, they found no less oxidative damage in the blood of the men than in men who took a placebo. Oxidative damage, a natural part of the aging process, is thought to lead to cancer, heart disease, and other illnesses common among older adults.

Other studies have focused on people with adequate diets who take supplements of large doses of antioxidants. To determine whether the level of antioxidants might prevent oxidative damage, researchers at Tufts and the University of California at Davis provided the supplement to 77 smoking and nonsmoking men, aged 20 to 51 years, and then measured biomarkers of oxidative damage after 90 days. The researchers concluded that the moderate-dose supplement did not significantly reduce cell damage from oxidation.

"There is still no easy out for those with an unhealthy lifestyle," says Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., an antioxidant expert and professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts.

Further testing is required to determine what levels and kinds of dietary antioxidant supplementation provide protection in people who consume few fruits and vegetables. For now, the best way to receive the health benefits of antioxidants is to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.