Are antioxidant pills good for health?

Q: I am taking oral contraceptive pills. I want to start taking anti-oxidants too, as I think they are good for health. I wanted to ask whether is there by any chance that the effect of contraceptive pills gets reduced when taking anti-oxidants. Is it safe and effective to take both together?

A:There are lots of so-called antioxidants in the market; they are actually nothing more than multi-vitamin pills. Some contain vitamin A that is to be avoided in pregnancy in high doses. Hence if you wish to take an anti-oxidant, it should be pure anti-oxidant such as lycopene (sold under the trade name of LycoRed by Jagson Pal).