Ascorbate (ASC) is a ubiquitous nutrient found in nearly all fresh foods; it is essential for human health. Most mammals make their own ASC, using liverenzymes to convert glucose to ASC. There are two general groups of antioxidants, preventive antioxidants and chainbreaking antioxidants. Preventive antioxidants intercept oxidizing species before damage can be done. Chain-breaking antioxidants slow or stop oxidative processes after they begin, by intercepting the chain-carrying radicals. Chain-breaking antioxidants include donor antioxidants and sacrificial antioxidants. The first experimental evidence that ASC enhances the antioxidant action of vitamin E was gathered at the University of lowa in the 1940s in a study of the antioxidant action of tocopherol on oils. The thermodynamic pecking order describes the hierarchy of free radical electron/hydrogen atom transfer reactions using one-electron reduction potentials. If the thermodynamic and kinetic considerations of ASC and tocopherol are important, then one might hypothesize that a certain ratio of these antioxidants would provide opportunity for better health.