What are free radicals in the body is a question that most health conscious people ask a lot. When the human system uses oxygen, as it always does, the by-product of the oxidation process brings about oxidative damage to body cells. During the process, very highly reactive molecules, mostly from environmental pollution, Ultraviolet light, and smoking will come by as free radicals.
With that being said, it is important to keep in mind that they are often a lone electron looking to stabilize so that the reactive process would stop. In their pursuit for stabilization, they will often be looking for other lone moving molecules to bind to. The process of stabilization of lone molecules causes so many complications and processes in the body. This is where aging and tissue damage comes in.
They are indeed "free" since they float around till they stabilize, and are "radicals" because there are so many molecules from which they can derive and pair with an electron. Note that once the reactive process of pairing with other electrons starts, it becomes a snowball effect that wreaks havoc on otherwise healthy tissues. This is because the new molecule that pairs with it, also misses an electron in the process, hence acquires the new title of a free radical, and the chain continues.
Some of the diseases linked to these include cancer, heart disease, glaucoma, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and mucular degeneration often associated with aging.
In the process of attaining their stability by bonding with other molecules in the system, the molecules end up destroying their good health status, thus worsening the already damaged process. It is because of this that there is a very close connection between antioxidants and these radicals.
Antioxidants are known as lone radicals scavengers. They inhibit the creation of the lone molecules in the first place. They further neutralize the lone molecules, thus ensuring the healthy tissues of the system are well protected against the harmful effects brought about by oxidation stress. Examples of antioxidants include Vitamin c, Vitamin E, betacarotine, lutein, selenium, lycopene, resveratrol, and lipoic acid. Also worth mentioning is that antioxidants are readily present in most diets today.
While these antioxidants are readily available in the market in supplement form, it is worth mentioning that they can also be derived from a number of natural remedies and foods. These foods include goji berries, cocoa, black tea, chokeberry, acai, oolong tea, medicinal mushrooms, white tea, wheatgrass, and tart cherries to mention but a few. Most vegetables and fruits are also believed to be potent sources of antioxidants, and so are proteins and grains.
The need to have a free radical scavenger can never be overemphasized enough. This can be a mineral, vitamin, or enzyme that has the ability to destroy the roaming and unstable molecules. The main role of the scavenger in the body is to hunt down all unstable molecules and work to destroy it early enough so they do not cause significant damage to cells. Once you understand what are free radicals in the body, you will be in the best position to search for these scavengers (read antioxidants).
With that being said, it is important to keep in mind that they are often a lone electron looking to stabilize so that the reactive process would stop. In their pursuit for stabilization, they will often be looking for other lone moving molecules to bind to. The process of stabilization of lone molecules causes so many complications and processes in the body. This is where aging and tissue damage comes in.
They are indeed "free" since they float around till they stabilize, and are "radicals" because there are so many molecules from which they can derive and pair with an electron. Note that once the reactive process of pairing with other electrons starts, it becomes a snowball effect that wreaks havoc on otherwise healthy tissues. This is because the new molecule that pairs with it, also misses an electron in the process, hence acquires the new title of a free radical, and the chain continues.
Some of the diseases linked to these include cancer, heart disease, glaucoma, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and mucular degeneration often associated with aging.
In the process of attaining their stability by bonding with other molecules in the system, the molecules end up destroying their good health status, thus worsening the already damaged process. It is because of this that there is a very close connection between antioxidants and these radicals.
Antioxidants are known as lone radicals scavengers. They inhibit the creation of the lone molecules in the first place. They further neutralize the lone molecules, thus ensuring the healthy tissues of the system are well protected against the harmful effects brought about by oxidation stress. Examples of antioxidants include Vitamin c, Vitamin E, betacarotine, lutein, selenium, lycopene, resveratrol, and lipoic acid. Also worth mentioning is that antioxidants are readily present in most diets today.
While these antioxidants are readily available in the market in supplement form, it is worth mentioning that they can also be derived from a number of natural remedies and foods. These foods include goji berries, cocoa, black tea, chokeberry, acai, oolong tea, medicinal mushrooms, white tea, wheatgrass, and tart cherries to mention but a few. Most vegetables and fruits are also believed to be potent sources of antioxidants, and so are proteins and grains.
The need to have a free radical scavenger can never be overemphasized enough. This can be a mineral, vitamin, or enzyme that has the ability to destroy the roaming and unstable molecules. The main role of the scavenger in the body is to hunt down all unstable molecules and work to destroy it early enough so they do not cause significant damage to cells. Once you understand what are free radicals in the body, you will be in the best position to search for these scavengers (read antioxidants).
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