Free Radicals and Antioxidants- What you Need to Know.

What are free radicals? How are they formed? Are they damaging to living cells? What are antioxidants? What’s their role in the human body? How would the knowledge of these help my health? I will attempt to answer these questions and help you understand why eating antioxidant-rich food would benefit your health. But before all that, a little background.
 

Chemical Bonding

The human body is composed of many different types of cells. Cells are made up of molecules. Molecules are made up of at least two atoms of one or more elements joined together by chemical bonds (Electrostatic force of attraction).

An atom comprises a nucleus occupied by neutrons (no charge) and protons (positively charged), surrounded by electrons (negatively charged) ‘orbiting’ in shells- as you probably remember from your high school days.

The first (innermost) shell is full when it has two electrons. When the first shell is full, electrons begin to fill the second, until they are 8, then it becomes full, and so on.

The most important feature of an atom for determining its chemical behavior is the number of electrons in its outermost (valence) shell. A substance (with all its bonding atoms) that has a completely filled valence shell tends NOT to enter into chemical reaction because they are more 

stable.

  Because atoms seek to reach a state of maximum stability, an atom will try to fill its valence shell by

• ·         Gaining or losing electrons to either fill its valence shell or empty it (Ionic Bonding)

OR

• ·         Sharing its electrons with other atoms to completely fill its valence shell. (Covalent Bonding)

Free Radicals and How They are Formed

Any molecule or substance which has an atom whose valence shell is incompletely filled is a free radical. Free radicals are formed when bonds (weak ones especially) split. Once formed, they (free radicals) are highly unstable and react rapidly with other compounds, trying to 'steal' electrons to complete their valence shell. The 'attacked' compound also loses electrons and becomes a free radical, beginning a chain reaction. This chain reaction normally results in the disruption of the cell.

Some free radicals are naturally produced during metabolism to destroy bacteria and viruses. However, pollution, stress, herbicides, radiation, cigarette smoke and some other environmental factors lead to the production of billions of free radicals.

Antioxidants

An antioxidant is a substance or compound that neutralizes free radicals by donating one or more of its electrons to the free radical, ending the 'stealing' and chain reaction. By donating electrons, the antioxidants don't become free radicals because they are stable in either state. They can be likened to scarecrows on farms- preventing birds (free radicals) from eating  seeds or crops planted there.

Some common antioxidants include glutathione (chief antioxidant), Vitamins C and E,  just to mention but a few.  Eating fruits and vegetables would provide you with these vitamins but be warned that more is not always better.

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