Most people have heard of antioxidants and free radicals, but for most it remains an abstract concept about the “good” antioxidants fighting off the enemy of the “bad” free radicals. Here I hope to help you to understand more about what antioxidants and free radicals are, and how they work in our bodies to either create or prevent disease, depending on how we cultivate them.
What Are Free Radicals?
Free radicals are chemical molecules known as “unpaired electrons”. They exist all around us – in the air, in our bodies, and in materials such as plastics and paints. In our bodies they serve the purpose of facilitating important chemical reactions, such as white blood cells use to destroy bacteria and virus-infected cells.
However, when we become stressed, and ingest toxins such as pollutants and tobacco smoke, and the chemicals, preservatives and sugars associated with poor eating habits, we produce excessive amounts of free radicals. It is the over-abundance of free radicals that contributes to common diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and age-related diseases.
How does this happen? Well, as electrons prefer to be in pairs, these unpaired electrons whizz around the body in search of other unpaired electrons to balance them out. They try to steal electrons from other molecules, causing these targeted molecules to become unbalanced, and often setting up a dangerous chemical reaction. They are very unstable and reactive, causing much damage to surrounding molecules. In this way, free radicals damage our bodies at the most fundamental level of our cells and DNA.
Excess free radicals result from:
- Stress,
- Environmental pollutants,
- Household pollutants,
- Tobacco smoke,
- Sun exposure, and
- Poor diet.
Excess free radicals contribute to:
- Cancer,
- Chronic fatigue,
- Age-related diseases,
- Rheumatoid arthritis, and
- Cardiovascular disease.
How Can Antioxidants Help?
Antioxidants are found in fruits and vegetables. They are naturally occurring molecules that work to actively neutralise free radicals by stopping and/or repairing the damage. They do this by safely interacting with the free radicals to stop the disruptive chain reactions before vital molecules become damaged. Some common antioxidants are Vitamin E (tocopherol), Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and selenium, all found in large doses in fresh fruits and vegetables.
Why Do Plants Make Antioxidants?
Fruits and vegetables come from plants. When plants undergo their process of photosynthesis, they are exposed to huge amounts of free radicals as they absorb the high energy from the sun. The plants produce their coloured antioxidant pigments as self-protection from free radical damage. We can easily see the antioxidants in the pigment of plant foods, in the orange, red, blue and purple fruits, vegetables, berries and algae.
When we eat plant-based foods, the antioxidants within the plants help to protect our bodies from free radical damage, just as they protected their plants in their original form.
It is most beneficial to eat a wide variety of antioxidant-rich foods, in the form of 7-10 servings per day of organic fruit and vegetables. To get started, take a look at our post about Choosing Foods High In Antioxidants.
Recommended Resources
- To get our daily dose of antioxidants, nutritionists recommend we eat at least 7-10 servings of fruit and vegetables every single day. If you’re finding this hard to manage in your busy life, you may want to consider an antioxidant superfood blend to boost your body. It’s important to note that synthetic supplements do not offer the same benefits of wholefood supplements, so take care when choosing.
- Here’s a great video about free radicals and antioxidants, and how to use antioxidant foods to repair and prevent free radical damage in your body.
References
- ARC Centre of Excellence For Free Radical Chemistry and Biotechnology – Explore Free Radicals Fact Sheet, See http://www.freeradical.org.au/attachments/DL_2010.pdf, Accessed 3 October 2011.
- Chenery, Narelle (2011), Vitality Through Superfood Nutrition, Webinar recorded 25 August 2011.
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