Formula for Life: The Anti-Oxidant, Free-Radical, Detoxification Program

Free radicals are molecules that leech electrons from other molecules; oxidation--burning or rusting, for example--involves such a process. A kind of biological oxidation is largely responsible for aging and many immunologic and degenerative diseases: smoking, eating fats and not exercising foster free radicals, while certain vitamins, called anti-oxidants, apparently neutralize them. How to make use of these facts to one's advantage, however, remains scientifically uncertain. The Kronhausens, retired psychologists, collaborate with medical researcher Demopoulos in advising the ingestion of large amounts of pure anti-oxidants (once called megavitamins). Their ``formula'' is a case of gross oversimplification: vitamins as panacea, all else as toxic. They overstate their case at great rambling length (cursorily discussing hypnosis and homelessness, en route); make irresponsible dietary recommendations (e.g., advising the elimination of salt from homecooked meals, which should then--incongruously--be salted to taste); and cite countless preliminary, inconclusive or contradictory studies (after dosing themselves with the natural aphrodisiac yohimbine, the authors report that they were ``wittier than usual''). (Apr.)