Primary antioxidants are ‘made by the body’ when genes are activated to defend our cells and DNA. In contrast, secondary antioxidants are derived ‘from your diet’ and first must be successfully absorbed. They play a buffering role in your stomach but the secondary antioxidant molecules are quite bulky. Therefore, only approximately 5-8% of these are delivered to your bloodstream. This low absorption rate can severely limit the ability of secondary antioxidants to reach cells and provide the much-needed defense against harmful free radicals.