How many antioxidant vitamins do I need per day to stay young?

Taking the right amounts of antioxidant vitamins C and E, for example, can make your RealAge (physiologic age) as much as one year younger. Many people, however, wrongly believe that if a little bit of antioxidant is good, a lot is better. Too many antioxidants, especially the wrong type, can actually cause oxidation and its subsequent damage. My recommendation is to use antioxidation in moderation. Eat a balanced diet, with four servings of fruits and five to six servings of vegetables a day. Then, each day, take 600 milligrams (mg) or more (up to 2,000 mg) of vitamin C in divided doses separated by at least six hours, plus 400 international units (IU) of vitamin E. Take much less -- 100 mg of C and 50 IU of E -- twice a day if you are taking a statin drug such as simvastatin (Zocor), atorvastatin (Lipitor), or rosuvastatin (Crestor) for control of cholesterol levels. Vitamins C and E in excess dosage inhibit the ability of these statin drugs to make your blood vessels younger.