THE ANTIOXIDANTS STORY

WINNING THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY OVER TO ANTIOXIDANTS

There is a truism that if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. One might be tempted to believe this adage applies to antioxidants. After all, antioxidants are claimed to be able to reduce the risk of literally more than 80 diseases, as well as play a role in the treatment of many of these diseases even after they have developed.

Further, antioxidants have generated excitement among the Baby Boomer generation for being able to turn the clock back on the aging process. But incredibly, research has indicated the veracity of these claims about antioxidants. As the research on antioxidants continues to progress, the medical community has taken note, and probably more than any other category of products in the dietary supplement industry, antioxidants hold the potential to be a scientifically validated preventative and therapeutic option accepted and utilized by doctors and pharmacists.
As a writer for a dietary supplement industry trade magazine, I am often preaching to the choir. However, as many negative and unbalanced media reports (not to mention the FDA's antagonism toward the industry) show, not everyone has been won over to the side of dietary supplements. This is also the case with the largely conservative, often skeptical, evidence-based medical community. Still, scientists, doctors and pharmacists very well may determine the future of dietary supplements more than any other group. Not only do the majority of Americans rely on their physician for making important healthcare decisions, but journalists and government regulators in large part take their cue from what the scientific and medical communities are saying. If a majority of scientists, doctors and pharmacists embrace the safety and efficacy of a category of supplements such as antioxidants, this consensus of experts will have the effect of shifting antioxidants from the realm of "alternative" to that of "mainstream." This in turn translates to wider consumer acceptance and bigger sales at every level of the industry. The question, then, is: what is the attitude of the mainstream medical community toward antioxidants?

http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/articles/1999/01/winning-the-medical-community-over-to-antioxidants.aspx

http://www.depsyl.com/

http://back2basicnutrition.com/

http://bionutritionalresearch.olhblogspace.com/