(NaturalHealth365) A recent meta-analysis included in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition determined that eating more antioxidants like vitamin C and vitamin E can reduce mortality rates.  In fact, having more antioxidants in your blood can reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, and your overall risk of death for up to three decades later.

This is a big deal, especially when you realize that – based on U.S. statistics alone – cancer claims around 1,600 lives (every day!) and every 40 seconds, another American will have a heart attack.

Researchers looked at 69 different studies in their meta-analysis. They dug deeper into studies on vitamin C, carotenoids, and vitamin E to find out how much they really impact your risk of death. The results were astounding.

There’s BIG news about antioxidants – especially vitamin C

You already know that vitamin C is vital to a healthy immune system and overall health. But what the big news researchers discovered was that this vitamin significantly lowers your risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and coronary heart disease.

Simply put: the more people increased their vitamin C intake, the lower their risk of these health problems.

Vitamin E, another antioxidant, also showed benefits.  High blood levels of this vitamin were associated with a lower risk of cancer, stroke, and all-cause mortality. The bottom line: higher levels of these antioxidants in your blood decrease your risk of dying.

How can you take advantage of the benefits of antioxidants?

The authors of the meta-analysis concluded that eating more fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants can help lower your risk of cancer, heart disease, and premature death. So how do you go about getting more vitamin C and E in your diet?

A few tips for getting as much vitamin C as possible in your daily diet include:

• Eat your veggies and fruits raw when you can.  Cooking can strip away water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C.
• Keep fruits rich in this vitamin around the house for snacking. Good options include oranges, grapefruit, kiwifruit, and mangoes.
• Try fermented veggies like, cabbage, radishes and carrots.  It’s delicious and relatively inexpensive to produce yourself – at home.
• Add crudites to lunches. Instead of chips, raw red peppers or raw broccoli offer plenty of antioxidant-friendly vitamins.

To get more vitamin E in your diet, try these tips:

• Snack on sprouted (organic) nuts and seeds like sunflower seeds, walnuts and almonds. They’re all high in vitamin E.
• Add more wild-caught fish to your diet.  Salmon and rainbow trout both contain this vitamin.
• Organic avocados also contain vitamin E. Add them to salads or use as a spread on sandwiches.

Again, in a nutshell – pun intended, making a few changes to your eating habits – today – can make a profound impact on your health.  In fact, adding more antioxidants like vitamin C and E could offer positive benefits 10, 20, or even 30 years later.

So, eat up now and watch how your ‘future health’ says, thank you!

Sources for this article include:

Cancer.org
Heart.org
Academic.oup.com
NIH.gov
NaturalHealth365.com
Healthline.com