As we have already seen, the term antioxidants refers to all those substances that possess an action that hinders the harmful activity of free radicals. Antioxidants can also play a positive role in controlling body composition. In research by Bell (2006) it was shown that athletes show a better thermogenic response to exertion than sedentary people and that this superiority is due to the lower amount of free radicals produced by the former than by the latter. Theoretically, it can be inferred that a lower amount of free oxygen radicals translates into greater thermogenesis, i.e. greater caloric expenditure by the body. In truth, it could be argued that greater physical activity is often synonymous not with a lower amount of free radicals with access to cell membranes, but just the opposite: oxygen free radicals are in fact present in the air we commonly breathe and athletes, especially those practising extensive, endurance disciplines, tend to hyperventilate more than sedentary people. By moving a greater volume of air through the lungs, therefore, the free oxygen radicals within reach of the membranes should be more, not less, in athletes than in sedentary people. However, research seems to confirm the indirect effect on thermogenesis of antioxidants. Speaking of which, as already mentioned in the part of the work on vitamins, vitamin C is one of the antioxidant substances. Not only that, it is also the best known and often the subject of interesting studies: Johnston (2005) showed that people deficient in vitamin C burned up to 30% less fat than normal during a walking exercise! Naylor (1985) then clearly showed that taking vitamin C supplements leads to a weight loss of at least two and a half times that occurring without supplementation. Moreover, as also detailed in the section on this nutrient, one of the functions of vitamin C is to regulate the carnitine level in the muscles, so an increased intake of this could also result in more carnitine being available for lipid transport (for the positive effects of carnitine on body composition, we recommend reading the section on carnitine supplementation). For negative notes, form and dosage, please refer to the section on antioxidants for recovery.