Hydrophilic Antioxidants

Nearly everyone has heard of antioxidants and how they can help your body combat against cell damaging free radicals, but what many people don't realize is that there are many kinds of antioxidants; two main types in fact! Antioxidants are broken down into two broad categories: hydrophilic antioxidants and hydrophobic antioxidants.

Hydrophilic antioxidants are water soluble, and the reactions between these antioxidants and free radicals take place within the cell cytosol, or the fluid inside the cells themselves. The hydrophilic antioxidants include:

These antioxidants work within the cells themselves to fight against free radical damage. Free radicals are widely believed to cause a variety of adverse health problems like skin damage, increase your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. Hydrophilic antioxidants can be obtained through many fruits and vegetables, and people who eat a balanced, healthy diet should have no problem getting enough antioxidants. However, if you have food allergies or poor eating habits you may want to consider speaking to your health care provider about other options for obtaining these important nutrients, including the possibility of health supplements.