It's important in understanding both free radicals (FR's) and antioxidants because they both can have profound effects on your body.
But before we go into understanding these two, I pose one question to you:
Do free radicals even exist? In short, yes they do.
Here's the proof...
They were first discovered in 1954 by Dr. Denham Harman.
Using his knowledge and studies on human biology and "ionized radiation" he concluded that they are responsible for premature aging and the culprit behind many diseases.
What is "ionized radiation"?
If you have ever gone to the doctor's for an x-ray they usually protect your skin with a lead covering. If you ever have the luxury of having so many x-rays done you will start to see your skin turning red. Ask an x-ray technician and they'll confirm it.
Another example is have you ever been out in the sun for too long and your skin starts to turn red?
These two scenarios demonstrate "ionized radiation" and they are not good for you.
Recall the money analogy when we talked about how antioxidants work:
• The cells in your body are like money, or currency.
• For cells to be happy & stable they want to be a whole dollar.
• The x-rays and UV rays are stealing money from you, but this time it's on your skin.
• When the rays hit your skin it causes your skin to go from a whole dollar to $0.99 in change.
• When you have $0.99 in change your cells are unhappy and this will cause an increase in free radicals.
• And that is why your skin turns red.
Another factor for the redness is your body is trying to heal itself. And a side effect during this healing process is an increase in free radical production.
Seems like a vicious cycle. Your body is exposed to something harmful, it tries to heal itself but this causes more free radicals to be created.
Imagine this occurring inside your body.
Is there a solution to stop this cycle?
There is but first, let's go back to our history lesson.
It wasn't until the 1970s that the first one was discovered inside the body (the superoxide free radical, in case you were wondering).
Since that discovery, numerous types have been discovered. The ones which affect us the most are the ones with oxygen involved.
These are called Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS).
What is our defense against them?
For each free radical against us, there are antioxidants in our favor.
There are a lot of different types of antioxidants and each one has a specific, or preferred, role in helping your body. The specific types we know of are mostly in vitamins and phytochemicals (which come from food sources).
For example, Vitamin E is a fat-soluble (fat absorbing) antioxidant that helps to protect the outer protective membrane of your cells. It specifically fights off the peroxyl & hydroxyl radicals.
There's something else that's interesting to note.
Just as there are different types of antioxidants, they also come in different sizes (similar to bras).
There are small-molecule & large-molecule antioxidants in the body. The small-molecule ones are mostly vitamins and minerals.
Small-molecule Antioxidants:
Water Soluble:
Vitamin C
Glutathione
Fat-Soluble:
Vitamin E
Carotenes (think Vitamin A)
Lipoic Acid
Vitamin Q10
Large-molecule Antioxidants:
Superoxide Dismutase
Catalase
So what does this mean for you?
This means that there is more than 1 option for fighting off free radicals. And even though each antioxidant source is great by itself, it's even better when 2 or more are taken together. This is also where some good old fashion natural remedies come into play.
Antioxidants Detective: Uncovering the Myth and Truth about Antioxidants, Health and Nutrition
Other related pages:
The Top 10 Best Antioxidant Foods
Have a Question About Antioxidants or Nutrition? Click here to ask the Detective.
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