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How Antioxidants Counter the Effect of the Free Radical Aging Process!

By: Dan Hammer

As the 76+ million Baby Boomers entered the 40 to 60 year old age category there has been a remarkable effort to find methods to counter the effect of free radical activity on the aging process. This article will shed some light on this process and the remarkable stability of antioxidants to slow down this process.

The current information surrounding the aging process puts the blame on free radical activity and its resulting damage at the cellular level. In very simple terms a free radical is an atom that is missing an electron in its outer orbit. This makes the atom extremely unstable so it will try to steal an electron from a different atom or molecule to stabilize itself. A good example of this process is in the very act of respiration and how the body uses oxygen to create energy.

An oxygen molecule is made up of two oxygen atoms. In respiration the oxygen molecule is split resulting in two unstable oxygen atoms that for a very short period of time (like a nanosecond) become free radicals. To stabilize themselves they will steal electrons from another atom or molecule. While this stabilizes them the result of this action is to create a new free radical. This begins a chain reaction that can cascade until the final free radical steals an electron from the cell wall of some tissue resulting in the disruption of a living cell. This constant process of free radicals stealing electrons from living tissues results in the aging process we all experience.

In mankind’s effort to explore this aging process and find ways to slow it down, antioxidants were discovered to play a huge role in countering the effects of free radical damage. Again, in very simple terms, an antioxidant is a molecule that freely gives away its outer electrons. Thus, it will give the free radical its needed electron to return it back to a stable compound. Now, you might be thinking that the antioxidant will now become a free radical. Here is the really impressive aspect of this process. An antioxidant doesn’t become a free radical because they are stable in either form (with or without an even number of electrons in their outer orbit).

In effect, the stability of antioxidants allows them to act as free radical scavengers to help prevent cell and tissue damage. Antioxidants are a special breed of molecules commonly found in fruits and vegetables. So, when your mama told you to eat your fruits and vegetables she was also helping you to prevent cell and tissue damage. Inherently she knew that it would help to slow down the aging process so she could keep you at home longer. Well, if you’re out of the house and still want to slow down the aging process for other reasons, then please check out my article on antioxidants and the super foods that contain them.

Article Source: http://www.articlemap.com

Dan Hammer has a background in biology, chemistry and exercise physiology. He used to run one of the largest health club operations in the Chicagoland area and has been helping people with their wellness issues for more than 25 years. His website www.AgingNoMore.com provides current information on how to slow down the aging process.



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