Conclusions
There can be very little doubt that antioxidants in the diet offer protection from many of the diseases of ageing, as well as from many of the signs of ageing (those which are caused by free radicals at any rate). There is, however, only limited evidence that antioxidants on their own have very much to offer towards actual life extension, although it would be folly to avoid supplementing to some extent as part of a natural life extension approach. Guidelines for their safe use are given in Chapter 14.

The recurrent theme of earlier chapters comes to the fore again, that dietary restriction is the key to the puzzle of natural life extension. Use of dietary restriction achieves antioxidant effects by two extremely important methods. It reduces free activity due to its effect of lowering rates of metabolic activity, and it enhances some of the antioxidant activity vital to life, notably the functional activity of catalase. As will be explained in Chapter 13, there exist other methods which can alter free radical activity, including the controversial method of chelation therapy, in which an artificial amino acid (EDTA) is infused into the system to leach out heavy metals which are thought to play such a large part in triggering free radical activity.

The subject of the next chapter is the connection between the lowering of core (inner body) temperature and reduced metabolic activity and its implications in the quest for increased life span.