New research is helping ordinary Americans take control of their health. It's easier than you think to live healthy as you age.

Despite the hype about anti-aging solutions, we know there's no fountain of youth. However, we also know that there are things we can do to live young as we age, such as exercising, eating well and taking supplements. Unstable molecules in your body called free radicals cause a condition called oxidative stress, which is associated with more than 100 diseases, according to published studies. Each of the millions of cells in your body is assaulted by free radicals more than 10,000 times each day, causing cell damage and cellular aging.

Changing your diet alone isn't enough. Free radicals are a natural by-product of your body's normal metabolism of food to create energy. Additionally, while conventional antioxidants such as vitamins C and E are important for many nutritional reasons, studies show they do not eliminate age-related stress when consumed in the quantities generally recommended.

Oxidative stress is made worse by exposure to such things as tobacco smoke, alcohol, insecticides, chlorine and even excessive sunlight. Elevated oxidative stress is associated with heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer's and cancer, among others, according to published research. The human body produces its own antioxidant enzymes to fight free radicals and support cellular health.

A supplement called Protandim can help your body help itself by triggering it to produce more of its own antioxidant enzymes, allowing your body to naturally fight the damaging effects of free radicals. It has been shown to significantly reduce the age-dependent increase in oxidative stress in a human clinical trial. Protandim offers a fundamentally different approach to restoring oxidative balance.