A field prone to hype
Most longevity or wellness enthusiasts have heard of things like free radicals or oxidative stress. Perhaps you've seen supplements or foods labeled with "antioxidants" or actively seek out antioxidant-containing products.
The idea that antioxidants are important for aging can be traced back to an incredibly influential paper that came out 70 years ago.1 In 1956, Dr. Denham Harman published a seminal paper in the Journal of Gerontology titled “Aging: A Theory Based on Free Radical and Radiation Chemistry.” Today, this paper has more than 10,000 citations and represents one of the most impactful publications in…
