>I do know that new studies suggest that high levels of
>antioxidants taken in supplement form (i.e. isolated from the
>foods in which they naturally occur) can actually be HARMFUL
>to your health. I believe it was study looking vitamins A and
>C specifically, but I could be wrong on the "C" part. The
>doctor who was interpreting the study suggested eating a diet
>high in vegetables and fruits and taking a multivitamin low in
>or completely lacking vitamin A.
Vitamin A (and even beta carotene) are best avoided in supplement form. Studies testing the effects of supplemental beta carotene (which, when in natural form in the diet is protective against cancers) had to be stopped because incidences of cancer in the test subjects was increasing rather than decreasing.
I suspect as time goes on that we'll hear more and more about the harmful (or at least non-beneficial) effects of isolated nutrients in supplement form.
Laura, I don't know of any link between anti-oxidants and hydration.
I second Mattea's recommendation to eat your veggies (and fruits), and get a wide variety of colors, which indicate the presence of different types of antioxidants that have different effects.
FYI: organic produce may have higher levels of anti-oxidants than conventionally-grown counterparts, because the anti-oxidants are produced partly in response to attack on the plant and serve as part of the plant's defense system (and work as a defense system within our bodies as well). When plants are treated with so many chemical and sprays that they don't need their 'natural immunity" (antioxidants), they don't produce as many.
