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Antioxidants are substances that seem to reduce oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is thought to lead to aging and certain diseases such as cancer.
Common supplement ingredients thought to have antioxidant effects include vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin C, selenium, and others.
People use antioxidants for various cancers, heart disease, asthma, cystic fibrosis, and many other conditions, but there is no good evidence to support these uses.
- Bladder cancer. Oral antioxidant supplements do not appear to prevent bladder cancer.
Login for details - Cancer. Oral antioxidant supplements do not appear to prevent cancer.
Login for details - Cardiovascular disease (CVD). Most high-quality research shows that taking antioxidant supplements does not prevent CVD or reduce the risk of CVD-related complications.
Login for details - Cataracts. Oral antioxidant supplements do not appear to prevent cataracts or the need for cataract surgery.
Login for details - Colorectal cancer. Long-term use of the antioxidants selenium or vitamin E does not appear to prevent colorectal cancer.
Login for details - Nonmelanoma skin cancer. Oral antioxidant supplements do not appear to prevent nonmelanoma skin cancer or its recurrence.
Login for details - Prostate cancer. Oral antioxidant supplements do not appear to prevent prostate cancer.
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- Age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Although oral antioxidants do not seem to prevent onset of AMD, they may prevent the progression of advanced AMD.
Login for details - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease). Small clinical studies suggests that oral antioxidants do not improve survival in patients with ALS.
Login for details - Asthma. It is unclear if oral antioxidants are beneficial in patients with asthma.
Login for details - Autism spectrum disorder. Several small clinical studies suggest that oral antioxidants do not seem to improve most symptoms or behaviors associated with autism spectrum disorder.
Login for details - Cervical cancer. It is unclear if oral antioxidants are beneficial for the prevention of cervical cancer.
Login for details - Critical illness (trauma). Several small clinical studies suggest that oral antioxidants do not improve survival rates or length of hospitalization in patients with critical illness.
Login for details - Cystic fibrosis. Several small clinical studies suggest that oral antioxidants do not seem to improve lung function in patients with cystic fibrosis.
Login for details - Diabetic nephropathy. Several small clinical studies suggest that oral antioxidants do not seem to delay the progression of diabetic nephropathy but might improve some markers of kidney function.
Login for details - Male infertility. Small clinical studies suggest that oral antioxidants do not seem to impact pregnancy rates or long-term sperm health in males with infertility that have undergone varicocelectomy.
Login for details - Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Small clinical studies suggest that oral antioxidants do not seem to improve liver health in patients with NAFLD.
Login for details - Overall mortality. Several clinical studies suggest that oral antioxidant supplements containing selenium might reduce the risk of mortality in healthy adults. However, antioxidant supplements with or without selenium do not seem to reduce mortality risk in patients with underlying health issues.
Login for details - Pancreatitis. Although oral antioxidants might reduce hospital stay in acute pancreatitis and reduce pain in chronic pancreatitis, they do not seem to prevent complications of pancreatitis.
Login for details - Postoperative recovery. Several small clinical studies suggest that some oral antioxidants might reduce the risk of postoperative atrial fibrillation and shorten the duration of intubation, hospitalization, and intensive care unit (ICU) stay after cardiac surgery.
Login for details - Pre-eclampsia. Several small clinical studies suggest that oral antioxidants do not prevent pre-eclampsia.
Login for details - Schizophrenia. Several small clinical studies suggest that oral antioxidants might improve psychotic symptoms, but not overall symptoms, in patients with schizophrenia.
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When taken by mouth: Antioxidants are likely safe when used appropriately. But certain antioxidants are possibly unsafe when used in large doses. Antioxidants like beta-carotene and vitamin E can cause serious side effects when used in large doses. See specific ingredients for more detailed safety information.
Special Precautions & Warnings:
Pregnancy: Antioxidants are possibly safe when taken by mouth in appropriate doses during pregnancy. See specific ingredients for more detailed safety information.Breast-feeding: There isn't enough reliable information to know if antioxidants in general are safe to use when breast-feeding. See specific ingredients for detailed safety information.
See specific ingredients for interactions with medicines.
See specific ingredients for interactions with herbs and supplements.
See specific ingredients for interactions with foods.
Antioxidant products are typically taken by mouth. Common supplement ingredients thought to have antioxidant effects include vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin C, selenium, and others. Speak with a healthcare provider to find out which specific antioxidants and what dose might be best for a specific condition.
Antioxidant Agents, Antioxidant Supplements, Antioxidant Therapy, Antioxidant Vitamins, Dietary Antioxidants, Oxidation Inhibitor.
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