Just when you think you’ve got it all worked out, consuming litres of exotic juices to achieve super-health, along comes the news that maybe it’s not such a smooth move, after all. That most sincere-seeming company, Innocent, has just had its knuckles rapped by the Advertising Standards Authority for claiming its Superfoods smoothie (a blend of pomegranates, blueberries and trendy açaÍ berries) contained more antioxidants than five average portions of fruit and veg, and had a detoxifying effect because it soaked up free radicals. Why the po-faces? And why do radicals need soaking up, anyway?

FREE RADICALS: THE GOOD, THE BAD

Put very simply, free radicals are unstable molecules that can damage normal cell function and, it’s thought, lead to diseases from Alzheimer’s to certain cancers. They also underlie the whole ageing process. Although often thought of as baddies, they are part of normal physiological processes such as breathing and killing bacteria, so they are unavoidable. That said, external factors such as radiation (UV light and medical x-rays), pollution, cigarette smoke, excess alcohol and extreme exercise, such as marathon running, can increase their levels. Cue antioxidants, the body’s free-radical scavengers, which work to minimise and repair the damage free radicals do.

ANTIOXIDANTS: THEY’RE NOT ALL CREATED EQUAL

As well as its in-built supply of antioxidants, the body needs more from the diet, specifically betacarotene and vitamin C (found in fruit and vegetables), vitamin E (vegetable oils) and polyphenols (found in a variety of substances including red wine, chocolate and tea). It’s a fact – borne out by huge studies – that people who eat a diet rich in fruit and vegetables have a lower incidence of conditions such as heart disease, dementia, stroke and certain cancers. And so, the link was made that, as those diseases are associated with free-radical damage, it must be the antioxidants in the fruit and veg doing the protecting.

IS PILL-POPPING THE ANSWER?

In the laboratory, antioxidants kick those free-radical asses, but in supplement form, in double-blind randomised trials (the gold standard of scientific tests), they don’t always perform as well. So, should you take an antioxidant supplement as an insurance policy? According to Catherine Collins, chief dietician at St George’s hospital in London and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, the answer is no. “Current evidence doesn’t support the need for high-dose antioxidant supplements. We just don’t know enough about what level is a good level of antioxidants yet.”

FIVE A DAY

So if supplements aren’t a good idea, you have to look to diet to maximise your antioxidants, because what is not in doubt is that getting them from fruit and veg is a good thing. Ailsa Higgins, antiageing specialist and Champneys nutritionist, explains: “Scientists can measure the antioxidant capacity of foods. In recent research, the top-of-the-league fruits were cranberries, blueberries and blackberries. Of vegetables, beans and artichokes scored particularly highly. Walnuts, pecans and hazelnuts have high antioxidant value, and cinnamon, cloves and oregano topped the spice league table.”

But this doesn’t mean you should eat only these foods and shun all others. For maximum health benefit, Higgins’s advice is to eat plenty of different-coloured vegetables and fruit, including nuts, spices and herbs. Collins agrees, saying it is more important to focus on how foods work together, as well as the overall balance of your diet, than on antioxidant-rich superfoods. “Just because something has 10 times the amount of an antioxidant in a test tube doesn’t mean it delivers 10 times the health benefits. The best health advice is to get five (and up to nine) portions of fruit and veg a day in your diet.”

THE JUICE, THE WHOLE JUICE AND NOTHING BUT THE JUICE

So, can you get your antioxidant fix via a juice? It seems not. The truth is that high antioxidant levels in the smoothie bottle simply don’t translate into the same level of antioxidants in your bloodstream. “The problem,” says Collins, “is that when you press a fruit or vegetable for the juice, you break down the cell structure. And the seeds, which are themselves often nutrient-rich, are usually removed from pulp fruit. Juice is quickly absorbed, but there’s a saturation point at which no more nutrients can be absorbed. By contrast, eating whole fruit results in a slow, sustained release of nutrients, which means you probably have a greater uptake.” That is why the Food Standards Agency says juice, single or blended, counts as only one portion of your daily five.

As for the idea that a smoothie can detox you of free radicals, that’s just oversimplifying a chemical process. And while drinking lots of water is often touted as a good way to flush your system (it’s true water is needed for the healthy functioning of cells and tissues), a litre of Evian won’t (and can’t) rid you of free radicals. Getting rid of free radicals and flushing toxins out of the body are two different things.

ANTIOXIDANTS AND YOUR SKIN

As well as ingesting antioxidants, you may have forked out for an antioxidant-rich anti-ageing face cream. Is the science there any more conclusive? A French study more than a decade ago confirmed that the topical application of an antioxidant cream helped to protect against pollution and sun damage (though differently from sunscreen) and therefore had a role in fighting ageing. Other studies have confirmed this, though there haven’t been many large-scale trials. Just as with food, the antioxidants in skincare products range from derivatives of vitamin A to vitamins C and E and, increasingly, plant-derived polyphenols. There are many new synthetic compounds being used, too. Clinique and Estée Lauder, for example, use a molecule called Eukarion-134, a so-called catalytic antioxidant, which constantly recycles itself to continue to fight free radicals.

Dr Leslie Baumann, professor of dermatology at the University of Miami and author of The Skin Type Solution (Hodder £16.99), favours a multi-pronged approach. She recommends drinking green tea and applying vitamin C, such as Skinceuticals C E Ferulic (£60; 020 8997 8541), topically in the morning.

But like the dieticians, Bauman explains that antioxidants are just part of the picture. Use them in conjunction with a sunscreen during the day and a retinoid in the evening (a vitamin-A derived cream containing retinol if over the counter, or the stronger tretinoin on prescription). And don’t smoke – it will make a huge difference to your skin. “We estimate that 80% of ageing is from extrinsic factors such as the sun and environmental pollution, including smoking, so we may be able to prevent 80% of ageing by using the right skincare designed to protect the skin from these very factors.”

THE BEST ANTIOXIDANT BUYS

— Clinique Continuous Rescue Antioxidant Moisturizer, £32

— Clarins Multi-Active Day Lotion SPF 15, £34

— Estée Lauder Future Perfect Anti-Wrinkle Radiance Crème SPF15, £40

— Boots No7 Age Rewind Intensive Serum, £17

— Garnier Nutritionist Omega Skin Serum £12

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