Are vitamin E and beta carotene supplements beneficial?
The prevalence of dietary supplements in society these days is a symptom of our excessively health conscious mentality. Many people take dietary supplements in the belief that it boosts immune function and offers some form of protection against certain diseases. According to the National Institutes of Health, Americans are spending $23 billion a year on dietary supplements. Surveys estimate nearly half the adults in the United States take dietary supplements, a substantial proportion of which is from the class of supplements known as antioxidants. With the popularity of antioxidants increasing exponentially, its name has even infiltrated the commonplace as food manufacturers begin to incorporate these compounds into their products. In order to appreciate the function of antioxidants, one must first understand the oxidative damage inflicted by free radicals. Free radicals are molecules which have unpaired electrons. Being exceptionally unstable, neighbouring molecules such as carbohydra
