Counteracting the Oxidative Stress of Heavy Smoking

Hi,

Just to know - I am a heavy smoker. Which vitamins for anti-ageing can I take to compensate for this?

Anne

Hi Anne,

You probably already know that every puff of smoke you inhale generates millions of free radicals which rampage through your body causing cell damage and aging. The answer would seem to be simply, “supplement with antioxidants, antioxidants and more antioxidants”.

But it may not be that simple. Most medical experts still recommend antioxidant supplementation for heavy smokers, even though there have been some conflicting studies for high doses of Vitamin E and Beta-Carotene specifically for smokers.

Next time you visit your doctor, ask her to advise you on vitamins and supplements. She will take into account any other risk factors you may have, e.g. familial lung or other cancer, cardiovascular disease, obesity, heavy drinking.

Your doctor may recommend a multivitamin containing the daily recommended values of essential vitamins and minerals along with a combination of antioxidant supplements which will avoid an overdose of any that may be problematic.

There are other steps you can take to minimize your body’s oxidative stress. I’ll talk about those tomorrow.

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