Jean Carper, nutritional expert, author and syndicated columnist, suggests that you start taking these supplements when you’re young and healthy—to stay that way!
Vitamin E
The evidence is truly overwhelming, states Lester Packer, Ph.D., a molecular and cell biologist at the University of California at Berkeley. He asserts that Vitamin E drastically reduces your risk of heart attack or stroke, rejuvenates your immune system, sharpens your brain cells, helps keep skin youthful and may reduce your risk of cancer, especially prostate cancer. It also works as well as any prescription drug in delaying the progression of Alzheimer’s. It has been found to reduce the risk of a second heart attack by 70 percent. Packer recommends 500 mg. of Vitamin E daily.
Vitamin C
Dr. Packer believes that “taking a vitamin C supplement can make a huge difference in protecting against heart disease, keeping the immune system strong, preventing cataracts and even slowing down skin aging.” Research has shown that vitamin C, one of the most popular of all vitamins, can bolster the body’s resistance to various cancers. “People who take a vitamin C supplement live longer, healthier lives,” says Packer. Our ancestors may have eaten as much as 10,000 mg. of vitamin C daily, an amount not found in today’s American diet due to food processing and cooking. Packer recommends 500 mg. per day and a diet rich in vitamin C foods.
Lipoic Acid
The most versatile and powerful of all antioxidants, lipoic acid is unique in its ability to replenish other antioxidants and to get directly into the brain cells. Packer says that his research has shown that lipoic acid is potent protection against stroke and heart disease. It has been used for more than 20 years in Europe to treat diabetic complications. Packer recommends taking 100 mg. of lipoic acid daily since tiny amounts are only available in red meat, spinach, and potatoes.
L-glutathione
It doesn’t matter if you’re young, middle-aged or elderly, low blood levels of L-glutathione in your body predict disease and premature death. Levels of L-glutathione drop dramatically about the age of 40. L-glutathione is the body’s main detoxifier of toxins, which is critical to survival. Packer recommends lipoic acid to help boost glutathione levels since L-glutathione is a supplement that can be destroyed by digestive enzymes before it gets into the bloodstream.
Coenzyme Q-10 (CO-Q10)
In a recent American study, CO-Q10 improved the heart functioning in more than half the patients studied. This antioxidant, although less well known than vitamins C and E, has shown real promise in fighting degenerative brain diseases, gum disease and breast cancer. Parker noted that heart-muscle biopsies in patients with various heart diseases showed that 50 to 75 percent had a Co-Q-10 deficiency.
