NAC Update.(antioxidant)

I know NAC is an antioxidant, but what does that mean?

Although oxygen is a critically important molecule that humans couldn't live without for more than a few minutes, it can have some damaging properties as well. In certain situations, such as when a cell is damaged, breakdown of normal oxygen-containing compounds (and did you know, fat, sugar, and proteins ALL contain oxygen! It's everywhere!) can lead to the production of "reactive oxygen species", forms of oxygen that can do further damage to the cell.

How does oxygen damage a cell? It is easy to understand if you think of another situation in which oxygen causes damage, well known around the garage, and that is called RUST. Rust is caused by oxidative damage to metal, particularly any metal that contains iron. Another kind of reactive oxygen species that can be found in some households …