Why the concern about free radicals?

Why the Concern About Free Radicals?

Oxygen sustains life, imparting the breath of life into our bodies. Yet the simple act of breathing generates chemicals that can produce aging, disease and (ultimately) death. These chemicals, known as free radicals, are highly reactive, unstable oxygen molecules with an unpaired electron. Byproducts of oxygenation, they search frantically for other molecules with which to merge. By stabilizing their electrons, they render their victims unstable, creating new free radicals. And so begins an endless chain reactions as free radicals damage or destroy every molecule they encounter along the way. Before this cellular assault comes to a halt, probably because of antioxidants, millions of molecules may sacrifice themselves.

Antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and enzymes, interrupt this massacre by donating available electrons to the rampaging free radicals. These chemically react with and quench the electron needs of the free radicals, in effect deactivating them. Although antioxidants become free radicals in the process, these are a less reactive breed.

Normally, the body successfully handles about 98 to 99 percent of its free radicals, the rest contributing to premature aging. The survivors may amount to more because of pollution, a thinning ozone layer, and high-fat, low-nutrition diets. Douglas Darr, Ph.D., assistant research professor, Duke University Medical Center, points out that not all free radicals are enemies. "Since free radicals are a by-product of breathing, humans have developed biological functions for them." At low levels, they regulate immune responses and the body's healing mechanisms. They…