Understanding Free Radicals And Antioxidants |

Understanding Free Radicals And Antioxidants

What are free radicals?

Free radicals are a by-product of normal cell function. When cells create energy, they also produce unstable oxygen molecules. These molecules, called free radicals, have a missing electron. This electron makes the molecule highly unstable and they are highly dangerous left to their own devices. The free radical bonds to healthy molecules stealing their electron, thus making the healthy cell into a free radical.

Normally the body is able to deal with this natural process when a variety of antioxidants are abundant in our daily diet. However due to today’s lifestyles most of us are producing far too many free radicals for the normal body processes to cope with. Free radicals are produced in the body upon exposure to stress, cigarette smoke, alcohol, toxins found in personal care products, pesticides in foods, radiation from the sun, viruses, germs or fungi etc.

What are antioxidants?
Antioxidants protect cells from damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals. Antioxidant nutrients are naturally found in a varied diet of unprocessed grains, vegetables and fruit. These antioxidant nutrients include vitamins A, C, E and several of the B vitamins, the minerals selenium, copper and zinc, bioflavonoids and various antioxidant enzymes. High concentrations of these antioxidant nutrients are found in wheat and barley grass, sprouts and dark green vegetables. Fruit is another good source of antioxidants the best being blueberries, blackberries and strawberries. The body uses antioxidants to soak up free radicals like sponges. If your body has plenty of antioxidants available, it can minimize the damage caused by free radicals.

Free radicals and disease?

When free radicals overcome our body’s ability to neutralise them, they attack the body itself. As a result free radicals disturb the action of cellular DNA, which directs key cellular activities. Cells with damaged DNA stagnate and are prone to developing cancer and growths. This kind of damage also accelerates the aging process, directly causing wrinkles and age spots and severely taxing the immune system. Other diseases such as heart disease, atherosclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, inflammatory joint disease and degenerative eye disease to name a few are also attributed to free radicals. Different antioxidants work in different areas of the body, so the key is to eat as wide a range of antioxidants as possible. This means eating fruit and vegetables of different types and different colours and consider taking a broad-spectrum antioxidant supplement. Antioxidant supplementation of our diet is needed to ensure a more healthy elderly population. I would highly recommend Neways Revenol and Neways Cascading Revenol