Life Hacks for Health

Antioxidants prevent cell damage from free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules created in the natural process of metabolism, and at an accelerated rate during exercise. Free radicals also form due to exposure from environmental sources such as cigarette smoke, air pollution or sunlight.

However, when it comes to antioxidants, they are not just purely beneficial:
https://www.dovepress.com/oxidative-stress-aging-and-diseases-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-CIA
https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2013/03/antioxidants-more-is-not-always-better/index.htm
https://joshmitteldorf.scienceblog.com/2012/11/19/anti-oxidants-a-disappointment-or-worse

Vitamin C, has overall good health effects 1 2 when supplemented above the Dietary Reference Intake, but it reduces performance gains from exercising:
https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/87/1/142/4633311
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22777327

The NCCIH recommends the following:

• Scientists have researched anti-oxidant supplements to check whether they help to reduce diseases like cardiovascular disease, cancer, and cataracts. Results indicate that antioxidants didn’t lessen the risk of developing these.
• High doses of antioxidant supplements can cause unpredictable harm. When taken in high doses, anti-oxidants can act as pro-oxidants, increasing production of free-radicals. High doses of beta carotene can increase the risk of lung cancer in smokers. Use of high-doses of vitamin E supplements upsurge the risk of hemorrhagic stroke and prostate cancer.
• Certain antioxidant supplements are known to interact with some medicines. Vitamin E can increase the risk of bleeding in people who use anticoagulant drugs (blood thinners).

Antioxidants and Aging

Humans can live longer under certain types of stress (an effect of hormesis). When our body is stressed it upsurges its defenses. This can be seen with exercise, with starvation, and with many toxins (what toxins? please specify).

At an older age, the body isn't doing it's best to protect itself from damage. It willfully allows the damage to accumulate. Defensive programming is turned off and decay is allowed to overtake us. 1 2

— Humaira Sarfraz 2019/07/15
— Marcos Reyes 2019/07/15