Antioxidants: What are they and how do they help you?

Posted By admin on September 17, 2008

You have probably heard of antioxidants and that they are good for you. Specifically for your health and that they also help against the aging process.

So, what are they?

Antioxidants are molecules that help reduce oxidization of the cells. Cells that are suffering oxidization, like rust on metals, are damaged specially along the membrane.

A damaged cell is unable to function as it should.

What happens is that free radicals, which are also molecules but with a non-paired electron (hence the “free”), attach themselves to a cell.

This single electron is the one that does the damage.

An antioxidant pairs up to the electron. Not only does it stop further damage but it allows the cell to recover.

Our bodies produce free radicals and also absorbs them from various sources (sun, pollution, smoking, and so on). This is a natural process and not all bad as they can also attack germs.