What does my Antioxidant Score mean?

Your Antioxidant Score is a measurement of the presence of carotenoid antioxidants in your skin. Carotenoids are powerful antioxidants found in abundance in certain fruits and vegetables. Carotenoids neutralize damaging free radical molecules and are absorbed in human plasma and tissue, providing an excellent indicator of a person’s overall antioxidant health status.

Unlike other methods of measuring antioxidants that require the invasive collection of body fluids (in which antioxidant levels will fluctuate throughout the day), your Antioxidant Score is a measurement of the presence of carotenoid antioxidants in your tissue—providing you with a more accurate biomarker of your antioxidant defense level. (The scoring system was developed specifically for the BioPhotonic Scanner and has no relation to other biomarkers that you may be familiar with).

Score* Antioxidant Index

Under 20,000 Low Antioxidant Defense—Readings in this category may indicate conditions with high oxidative stress, for example in smokers who have a poor diet and do not supplement with antioxidant supplements.

20,000 to 37,500 Marginal Antioxidant Defense—Readings in this category are very common in people who do not take antioxidant supplements regularly and/or who eat diets low in fruits and vegetables.

37,500 to 50,000 Average Antioxidant Defense—Readings in this category are common in people who eat diets higher in fruits and vegetables and/or take antioxidant supplements.

50,000 and higher High Antioxidant Defense—Readings in this category are common in people who eat healthy diets high in fruits and vegetables and/or take antioxidant supplements.

Your individual score may vary based on a number of factors that include diet, physical activity, and exposure to the sun and toxins such as cigarette smoke. Your score may also vary depending on your genetic ability to absorb carotenoids. Although Pharmanex will continue to provide a summary of all scores for a population comparison in the Antioxidant Score Index, your own Antioxidant Score is unique to you. Tracking your subsequent scores will provide you with more personalized insight to your antioxidant defense level than comparing your initial score to the Antioxidant Score Index. 

You can begin by eating more fruits and vegetables that are rich in carotenoid antioxidants. Daily consumption of a dietary supplement such as LifePak® that provides a full spectrum of powerful antioxidants including 15 mg of antioxidant carotenoids may also result in a higher score.† Remember, high body fat percentage and exposure to pollution, cigarette smoke, and sunlight may negatively impact your antioxidant defense levels. Changes to your diet or lifestyle activities will take about 30 to 60 days before they are reflected in your Antioxidant Score.