Community Corner
Fight Free Radicals with Antioxidants
Our body in not left defenseless against destructive free radicals- antioxidants to the rescue.
I can recall sitting in an undergraduate chemistry class when a fellow student was giving a presentation on something called free radicals. I remember thinking to myself, “What on earth is this guy talking about?” The topic seemed to be confusing and complex. Needless to say, I tuned him out and continued to doodle on my notebook. However, as the years have passed and the research on free radicals has become more concrete, it’s time to stop doodling and pay attention to the impact free radicals have on our body.
Our body is comprised of billions of molecular cells that are held together by electronic bonds. Sometimes, these bonds are weak and split apart causing the molecule to be unstable because it is missing a paired electron. When this happens, a free radical is born. In turn, this unstable free radical frantically searches for its missing electron by attacking surrounding healthy molecules. Once it has stolen an electron, that invaded molecule then becomes a free radical. This process continues like a chain reaction called oxidative stress.
Free radicals occur naturally in our body through metabolism, but they can also be created by exposure to cigarette smoke, excessive sunlight, radiation, pollution, and herbicides. Free radicals have been linked to premature aging, certain types of cancer, and degenerative diseases like arthritis.
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Lucky for us, our body is not defenseless against free radicals. Our body uses antioxidants to fight against free radicals. Antioxidants help by giving the free radical an electron, which stabilizes it and stops the destructive chain reaction. Antioxidants also help to repair damaged cells.
Antioxidants are found in our food and constantly need to be replenished in order to keep the free radicals at bay. For example, foods high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Selenium are great sources of antioxidants. A good rule of thumb is to get your daily allowance of fruits and vegetables and you can be assured to get antioxidants into your body.
