• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About Us
  • STEPS Virtual
  • FAQ
  • Links
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • 615.269.8844

STEPS Fitness

Nashville's Premier Personal Fitness Training Center

  • STEPS Virtual
  • Programs
    • STEPS Fitness Presents Events
    • DR. Irv’s Perfect Exercise Minute
    • Training Packages
    • Group Offerings
    • Corporate Wellness
    • Traveler’s Special
  • Personal Trainers
    • Dr. Irv Rubenstein
  • Testimonials
  • Fitness Blog
    • Dr Irv’s Fitness Blog
    • Exercise of the Month
  • Newsletters
    • Fit Happens
    • Real News Newsletter
  • Search

October 10, 2010 By Irv Rubenstein

Supplements, Free Radicals, and Anti-Oxidants

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

I have colleagues who, as trainers, wish to help their clients and friends by also supplementing their incomes passively. So they sell or market supplements, either muscle building or immunity-enhancing or disease-reducing “proprietary blends” that have an ounce of science and a ton of marketing behinSupplements, Free Radicals, and Anti-Oxidantsd them. Just the other day, a close associate was discussing with me the prospect of getting involved in a multi-level marketing scheme of scientific-sounding anti-oxidants but was rightfully investigating its authenticity before jumping in. He wanted my opinion. That was before I read this article: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/phys-ed-free-the-free-radicals/…

My opinion was this: maybe it works but science has a way of isolating out of natural products or foods items or components of items believed to be the reason the natural products or foods are thought to be healthful. That is, take the C and E out of fruits and veggies, compress them into pills with megadoses way beyond those you can eat, and hope for miracle cures. Studies just don’t support most of these claims. In fact as I’ve reported previously, the latest data, based on multiple studies and combined data from multiple studies, shows that a multi-vitamin pill confers no health benefits vis a vis cancer or heart disease. The only caveat here is, of course, when people eat restricted diets – vegetarians, for ex, need iron, zinc, and B12 from pills. and there are other limiters that might require supplementation.

The article link above confirms that our bodies are pretty good at taking care of business. exercie, which produces tons of free radicals, that otherwise would be destructive, actually enhances our body’s ability to manage them via internal mechanisms. When you over supply the body with exogenous (outside the body) anti-oxidants, guess what happens: you become less adept at reSupplements, Free Radicals, and Anti-Oxidantsmoving these by-products and also less adaptive to the benefits of the exercise itself.

It also confirms what those stodgy old dietitians have been claiming for eons: food is the best medicine. Not supplements – which cannot be ‘natural’ because natural is food, and pills are super-concentrated versions of only one or a few elements contained in food.

So, once again, the age-old, 5 food group recipe stands firm: eat your fruits, eat your veggies, get your calcium from dairy – and don’t try to tell me mankind can’t get the nutrients from cows – we’ve been doing it since the first time a thirsty ancestor went up to a cow or camel and drank from its teat. Very few of us are truly lactose intolerant and even fewer are allergic but the rest of us can handle it just fine. (In fact, low fact chocolate milk is now the premier post-workout beverage for strength athletes…and some would contend for cardio athletes, too.)

One last note. Don’t be surprised if you hear, soon, about the necessity if not the recommendation to eat more saturated fats. I
t’s all aristotlean: everything in moderation. Why is it we americans keep taking things to the extreme?

Related Posts:

  • Fit Happens - Winter 2019
    Fit Happens - Winter 2019
  • Coronavirus Tips: How to Live Through Covid
    Coronavirus Tips: How to Live Through Covid
  • Fit Happens - Spring 2020
    Fit Happens - Spring 2020
  • Fit Happens - Fall 2020
    Fit Happens - Fall 2020
  • Disease, Apps and Ultimate Responsibility
    Disease, Apps and Ultimate Responsibility
  • Is Overeating/Obesity an Addiction?
    Is Overeating/Obesity an Addiction?
  • REAL News - January 2020
    REAL News - January 2020
  • The Real Fake News: Processed Food Is 'Healthy'
    The Real Fake News: Processed Food Is 'Healthy'

Comments

comments

Filed Under: Fitness Blog Tagged With: anti-oxidents, Free Radicals, fruits, saturated fats, Supplements

sidebar

Blog Sidebar

FREE Consultation!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Categories

  • Exercise of the Month
  • Fit Happens
  • Fitness Blog
  • General News
  • Newsletters
  • Real News
  • Trainers

Tags

achieve well-being aging Alzheimer's disease barefoot running body fat bone density burn off excess weight calories cardio cardiovascular childhood obesity coronavirus covid diabetes diet dieting eating disorders Exercise exercise intensity field of health or exercise science fitness flexibility functional fitness health Heart Health higher risk of obesity lose weight mental health musculoskeletal improvements obesity osteoporosis physical activity physically active protein reduce your risk of falling resistance training running Senior Training slows cognitive decline strength training Stretching training weight loss Weight loss vs Exercise gain weight management

Recent News

Jun 01

REAL News – June 2022

May 01

REAL News – May 2022

Apr 05

REAL News – April 2022

Mar 01

REAL News – March 2022

Feb 07

Dr. Irv Rubenstein contributes to journal article on lunges

STEPS Fitness
Reviewed from Google

5 out of 5 stars

Anne Jones
Anne Jones

5 out of 5 stars

posted 1 month ago

You can feel comfortable anytime in this gym but especially during a pandemic. It is very clean and a great place to get exceptional instruction. Thanks Irv.

Big Don
Big Don

5 out of 5 stars

posted 1 year ago

This was my very first experience with a private gym and personal trainer. The owner and trainer made me feel very comfortable and at home. The gym is very clean and well equipped. I felt the price was VERY well worth the time attention I received. I will return once my work schedule becomes more predictable.

Read All 36 Reviews

Search Our Directory

Footer Widget Header

Affiliations

  • american-college-of-sports-medicine
  • american-council-on-exercise
  • biometrics
  • exercise-etc-inc
  • national-strength-and-conditioning-association
  • renewed-support

STEPS Fitness | 2424 21st Ave. S. Suite #100 | Nashville, TN 37212 | 615.269.8844 p

© 2022 Nashville's Premier Personal Fitness Training Center | Designed by Ponder Consulting ®