So clearly antioxidants are important for all of us to strengthen and protect our immune systems and to help guard against disease. Antioxidants may even help us live longer. The theory is that if free radical damage causes aging, antioxidants in high enough quantities should be able to slow aging. This theory is advanced in one California study of people aged 50 or older, where it was found that those "... with a higher intake of vitamin C were found to have a total death rate only 40% of that for those with lower intake of C ... This decrease in death rate corresponds to an increase by eleven years in length of life." Even small doses of vitamin C can help. According to one UCLA study only 300 milligrams a day can add 6 years to a man's life and two years to a woman's life.

Antioxidants are made naturally by your body but supplementation from food or other sources is needed. The highest concentrations of antioxidants are found in most deeply or brightly colored fruits and vegetables such as spinach, red bell peppers, raspberries, carrots, apricots, pomegranates, and tomatoes.