Antioxidant Supplements: Who Actually Needs Them?

Most people who eat a reasonable amount of fruit and vegetables do not need antioxidant supplements, and high doses of vitamin C and E may even blunt some of the gains you get from training. The people most likely to benefit are those whose diet falls short, smokers, and anyone with a confirmed deficiency, and for most of them a standard multivitamin at sensible doses makes more sense than a mega-dose. Here is what the research shows and how to choose in Australia.

Food vs multivitamin vs high-dose antioxidants

Food figures and the 45 mg adult recommendation for vitamin C come from healthdirect, which also says not to take more than 1,000 mg a day of vitamin C from supplements.

What antioxidants actually do

Your body makes reactive molecules, often called free radicals, as a normal part of using oxygen, and more of them during hard exercise. Antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium help keep them in check, alongside the body's own defence systems.

The twist is that these molecules are not only damage. Researchers think they also act as signals that tell your muscles to adapt to training, for example by building more mitochondria, the parts of a cell that produce energy. That is why flooding your system with high-dose antioxidants around training may not be the free win it sounds like.

Can antioxidant supplements blunt your training gains?

Two randomised, placebo-controlled trials suggest high doses can get in the way:

• Endurance: 54 young men and women took 1,000 mg of vitamin C and 235 mg of vitamin E a day, or a placebo, during 11 weeks of running training. Fitness (VO2 max) improved in both groups, but markers of new mitochondria rose only in the placebo group. The authors advised caution with antioxidant supplements alongside endurance training (Paulsen 2014).
• Strength: 34 men aged 60 to 81 did 12 weeks of strength training with the same vitamin C and E doses or a placebo. Total lean mass rose 3.9% in the placebo group but only 1.4% with the antioxidants, although strength gains were similar (Bjørnsen 2016).

These are small studies and not every result was negative, but there is no sign that the high doses helped. The doses involved are far above what you get from food or a typical multivitamin.

Do they help soreness or long-term health?

A Cochrane review of 50 trials found that high-dose antioxidant supplements did not reduce muscle soreness after exercise by an amount people would notice, and most of the trials had design problems (Ranchordas 2017). If DOMS is your issue, sleep, protein and sensible training load matter far more. Our post on what your body needs after training covers the basics.

For long-term health, a larger Cochrane review pooled 78 trials with nearly 300,000 people. Antioxidant supplements did not lower the risk of death, and beta-carotene and vitamin E taken as supplements were linked with a small increase in deaths, as were higher doses of vitamin A (Bjelakovic 2012). The reviewers said antioxidant supplements should be treated like medicines, not harmless extras.

Who actually needs antioxidant supplements?

Food should come first, but plenty of people fall short. In 2022, only 6.5% of Australian adults ate the recommended serves of vegetables (ABS). You are more likely to benefit from a supplement if:

• Your diet is low in fruit and vegetables most weeks, or very restricted.
• You smoke. healthdirect lists smoking as a risk factor for low vitamin C.
• You have a confirmed deficiency or a condition that affects absorption. Talk to your GP or a dietitian about the right dose rather than guessing.

For most of these people, a multivitamin with doses close to the RDI is the sensible choice. Condemned Labz Multi is one of our best-selling multivitamins in the last six months. Two tablets give 90 mg vitamin C, 15 mg vitamin E, 70 µg selenium and 11 mg zinc, plus 20 µg vitamin D3, for about $2.00 a day. Compare more options in our best multivitamin guide.

If you struggle to eat greens, EHP Labs OxyGreens adds 2.6 g of fibre per scoop from inulin, grasses, spinach, kale and fruit powders for $59.95 a tub of 30 serves. It does not replace vegetables, as our greens powder guide explains, but it can help you build the habit.

If your GP suggests extra vitamin C, NOW Vitamin C-1000 gives 1,000 mg per tablet at about $0.30 a day. That is the healthdirect upper limit for supplements and the dose used in the training studies above, so it is not one to take every day through a training block without advice.

Our verdict

Antioxidant supplements are not something most active people need. Eat a wide range of fruit and vegetables first, especially capsicum, kiwi fruit, broccoli and berries. If your diet falls short, a modest multivitamin such as Condemned Labz Multi covers the gaps without the mega-doses that may blunt training. Save high-dose vitamin C or E for when a health professional recommends it. Browse our multivitamins if you want to compare labels.

How our price compares

Here is what the same products cost at other Australian supplement stores, so you can check the difference yourself.

Supps247 prices come from our website. Other prices were checked on the websites of Nutrition Warehouse, Australian Sports Nutrition (ASN), Elite Supps and Supplement Mart on 29 October 2026 (same product and size, price for one unit) and can change at any time. Sale means it was on sale that day. Some flavours means that price was for some flavours only. Not listed means we could not find that exact product on their site. Supps247 members can use our Price Match Guarantee against Nutrition Warehouse, ASN, Elite Supps and Supplement Mart: we beat their full price by 5% or match their sale price (conditions apply).

Shop the products in this guide

Condemned Labz Multi 30 Serves$59.95EHP Labs OxyGreens Pineapple$59.95NOW Vitamin C-1000 100 Tablets$29.95

Browse all multivitamins and greens powders.

FAQs

Do antioxidant supplements reduce muscle soreness?

Not by much. A Cochrane review of 50 trials found that high-dose antioxidant supplements made no difference to muscle soreness that people would notice, and many of the trials had design problems. Sleep, enough protein, a gradual increase in training load and time are more reliable ways to recover from hard sessions.

Should I take vitamin C after training?

There is no need for most people. Trials that gave 1,000 mg of vitamin C with 235 mg of vitamin E each day blunted some training adaptations, such as markers of new mitochondria and lean mass gains in older men. Vitamin C from food, or the modest amount in a multivitamin, is well below those doses.

Are antioxidant supplements safe?

At doses close to the RDI they are generally well tolerated, but more is not better. A Cochrane review found beta-carotene and vitamin E supplements were linked with a small increase in deaths, and healthdirect advises no more than 1,000 mg of vitamin C a day from supplements. Check with your GP if you take medication or have a medical condition.

What foods are high in antioxidants?

Colourful fruit and vegetables are the easiest place to start. For vitamin C, healthdirect lists red capsicum, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, kiwi fruit, strawberries, oranges and pineapple among the best sources. Fresh produce is best, because storage, cutting and cooking reduce vitamin C.

Is a multivitamin enough to cover antioxidants?

For most people whose diet falls a little short, yes. A multivitamin such as Condemned Labz Multi gives about twice the adult RDI for vitamin C plus vitamin E, selenium and zinc at modest doses. It works best alongside a reasonable diet rather than instead of one, and it avoids the very high doses used in the training studies.

Sources: healthdirect: Vitamin C; ABS: Dietary behaviour, 2022; Paulsen et al. 2014, vitamin C and E and endurance training; Bjørnsen et al. 2016, vitamin C and E and strength training in older men; Ranchordas et al. 2017, Cochrane review of antioxidants and muscle soreness; Bjelakovic et al. 2012, Cochrane review of antioxidant supplements and mortality; product labels and brand nutrition panels, checked October 2026.

Order online with Australia-wide delivery, free on orders of $99.99 or more, with Afterpay available at checkout. You can also use click and collect at a store that offers it, or visit a Supps247 store in Melbourne, regional Victoria or Brisbane to compare products in person. Members can use our member price match on full-priced items.

Prices and stock were checked on 29 October 2026 and can change at any time. Always read the label and follow the directions for use. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant or take regular medication, check with your doctor first.