Free Radicals and Antioxidant Health

Did you know that antioxidants is the name of a group?  No, not a musical group!  It’s the name of a nutritional group.  This group that helps to protect the body from the formation of free radicals is vitamins, minerals and enzymes!  What’s so bad about free radicals? Just as the radical name implies, free radicals are drastic!  These atoms, sometimes an entire group of them are called free radicals because they damage cells, impair the immune system, lead to infections and various diseases, such as cancer.  The basis of the aging process is even thought to be from the damage of free radicals!  Yuck to free radicals, huh? Thank goodness for antioxidants!

• Antioxidants are a group of vitamins, minerals and enzymes
• Free radicals are damaging atoms
• Antioxidants protect the body from free radicals
• Free radicals damage cells, impair immune system, lead to infections and diseases
• Free radicals can cause aging

You can easily take action now, to prevent the formation of some free radicals in your body! We do know about some of the free radicals occurring in the body and how they form. Exposure to radiation is one way that free radicals form. You may want to think about how many dental and medical x-rays you agree to, for “preventative” reasons! Free radicals are also formed by toxic chemicals. You may want to think about your household cleaners! You probably already know about cigarette smoke, include it here, too! Too much “Fun in the sun,” meaning overexposure to the sun’s rays forms free radicals inside your body. You may want to think about having to have that deep, dark tan!

• You can prevent some formations of free radicals, in your body
• Free radicals are formed from exposure to radiation (dental and medical x-rays)
• Free radicals are formed from toxic chemicals (household cleaners, cigarette smoke)
• Free radicals are formed from overexposure to the sun

Have you ever visited a pet store, watching those fish that devour the refuse to keep the aquarium clean? Naturally, your body has some of those! No! Not the fish, you just have the similar scavengers. Come on! Our body is mostly water, but fish swimming around inside? Anyway, that’s how free radicals are normally kept in check because of those free radical scavengers that occur naturally in the body. Your bodily scavengers are what neutralize the free radicals! Certain enzymes that the body naturally makes, also does this. Another way that you can protect your body from free radicals is with the nutrients that act as antioxidants. These include vitamin A, beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, and the mineral selenium. The hormone melatonin is another powerful, free radical neutralizer. Plus, specific herbs are antioxidants.

• ·Free radical scavengers that occur naturally in the body neutralize free radicals
• ·Certain enzymes neutralize free radicals
• Antioxidant nutrients protect the body from free radicals
• Melatonin is a powerful, free radical neutralizer
• Specific herbs are antioxidants

You can minimize free radical damage, by taking supplements of key nutrients! Yes, some food sources, such as sprouted grains, fresh fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants. But, free radicals are constantly being generated in our polluted environment. This huge amount of free radicals makes it difficult to get enough protection from them, with just food sources. A high intake of antioxidant supplements are the easy and powerful way that can keep your body protected, from free radicals!

• Protect yourself from free radical damage, by using antioxidant nutritional supplements
• Antioxidant nutritional supplements are essential for protection of free radicals, constantly generated in our polluted environment
• Food sources of antioxidants are not enough protection

To understand free radicals, let’s begin by defining them as an atom or group of atoms that contain at least one unpaired electron.  Hold on, while we explain that electrons are negatively charged particles that usually occur in pairs, forming a chemically stable environment.  Notice we said, electrons usually occur in pairs!  This is what happens if an electron is unpaired, another atom or molecule can easily bond with it, causing a chemical reaction.  Yep, here is where free radicals (atoms) come in!   In living up to their name of being free, they easily join with other compounds.  That’s why free radicals can cause dramatic changes in the body, causing a lot of damage.  From uniting with a free radical, even if it only exists for a fraction of a second, the damage it leaves can be irreversible!  Think of that old saying, to be aware of the company you keep!  It’s similar to the pairing up, with free radicals.

• Free radicals are atoms or a group of atoms, containing one unpaired electron
• Free radicals easily pair up with other compounds, causing a chemical reaction
• Dramatic changes can be caused by uniting with a free radical, if only for one second

Normally, free radicals are present in the body in small numbers.  The formation of some free radicals in the body is natural because of biochemical processes.  Also, under normal circumstances, the body can keep them under control.

This is where free radicals redeem themselves, because not all free radicals are bad! There are the free radicals produced by our immune system that do destroy viruses and bacteria. Then, there are other free radicals involved in producing vital hormones and activating enzymes that are needed for life. Free radicals are needed to produce energy and various substances that the body requires. But, the problems come from too much free radical formation! That’s when damage to the cells and tissues occur. The danger here is because the formation of large numbers of free radicals stimulates the formation of more free radials, leading to more damage.

• There is a natural formation of free radicals in your body
• Not all free radicals are bad
• Damage occurs to cells and tissues, from too much free radical formation
• The formation of large numbers of free radicals, stimulates the formation of more free radicals

Often times, we get so busy that we miss-communicate with each other because we get flooded with activities!  Cells that get flooded with free radicals are similar.  The way in which your cells code genetic information can be altered, from the presence of a dangerous amount of free radicals!  This can cause changes in the protein structure, from the result of errors in protein formation.  It keeps getting worse because your body’s immune system, may then see this altered protein as a foreign substance and try to destroy it!  It’s this formation of mutilated proteins that can eventually damage the immune system and lead to cancer.  Besides damaging proteins, free radicals can destroy the protective cell membranes.  Also, retention of fluid in the cells caused by the formation of free radicals is involved in the aging process.

• A dangerous amount of free radicals can alter the way cells code genetic information
• Incorrect coding can cause changes in the protein structure
• Your immune system may see this altered protein as a foreign substance
• Free radicals can destroy protective cell membranes
• Free radicals cause retention of fluid in cells, affecting the aging process

 An excessive amount of anything is not good, including free radicals!  There is much you can do to prevent their production. While there are many different factors that can lead to the production of free radicals, you can become aware of the factors that you can influence.  Exposure to radiation, whether from the sun or from medical and dental x-rays can form free radicals.  Yes, there are many environmental pollutants, like automobile exhaust that forms free radicals.  But, some environmental pollutants like tobacco smoke and household cleaners, you can directly influence.

Your diet can also contribute to the formation of free radicals! When your body obtains nutrients from your diet, it uses oxygen and these nutrients to create energy. In this oxidation process inside your body, oxygen molecules containing unpaired electrons are released. These oxygen free radicals can cause damage to your body, if produced in high amounts. Your mindfulness of what you eat can make a difference! If your diet is high in fat that can increase free radical activity because oxidation occurs more readily in fat molecules, than it does in carbohydrate or protein molecules. Your cooking fats at high temperatures, particularly frying foods in saturated or polyunsaturated oil can produce tremendously high numbers of free radicals.

• Exposure to radiation-the sun, or medical and dental x-rays, forms free radicals
• Environmental pollutants-automobile exhaust, tobacco smoke, household cleaners, form free radicals
• A diet high in fat, forms free radicals
• Cooking fats at high temperatures-frying foods, forms free radicals

One of the best ways to neutralize free radicals is by using antioxidants! They neutralize free radicals by binding to their free electrons. Supplement forms of antioxidants include the enzyme superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, vitamin A, beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, the trace mineral selenium, and the hormone melatonin. Grape seed extract and alpha lipoic acid supplements are also very potent antioxidants. Antioxidants help to detoxify and to protect your body, by destroying free radicals. Antioxidant nutritional supplements are ones you don’t want to be without!