In January, Engeseth and Jason McKibben, a researcher with Anheuser Busch in Santa Monica, CA, reported in the same journal that the dietary antioxidants in honey were more effective compared to traditional preservatives, such as butylated hydroxytoluene and tocopherol in slowing oxidation in cooked, refrigerated ground turkey. Antioxidant Vitamins Did you know that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for African-American men and women? The disease claims the lives of over 100,000 annually. Perhaps due to this alarming number, much of scientific researches conducted in the US today have recently been focused on how antioxidant vitamins may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. So far the most promising of all antioxidant supplements is Vitamin E, especially when it comes to working against heart disease. People who eat more foods rich in Vitamin E tend to have reduced risk of heart disease. Antioxidant supplements have been available for years now and while they can't substitute for a healthy diet and lifestyle, they do play a role in reinforcing your overall health and resilience. Antioxidant foods are powerful scavengers of free radicals. The function of antioxidant foods is to hunt down free radicals and destroy them. What are Free Radicals? Free radicals are highly reactive chemical substances that are produced when the body undergoes the process of oxidation. The reason that free radicals are highly reactive is that they lack electrons, which cause them to be highly unstable. Usually they are for oral administration in the form of pills or capsules. However, the absorption of antioxidant enzymes in supplement form is minimal at best. A better way would be to supplement the body with the "building blocks" required in order for our body to manufacture its own SOD, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and other such antioxidant enzymes. They can be nutrients (vitamins and minerals) as well as enzymes (proteins in your body that assist in chemical reactions). Antioxidants are believed to play an important role in preventing the development of such chronic illnesses as heart disease, stroke, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, Rheumatoid arthritis, and cataracts.