Free Radicals and Antioxidants: A Love Story

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By: Amanda Schroeder

The terms “free radical” and “antioxidant” have been thrown around quite a bit lately in the media. In fact, I am nearly certain that you have heard about free radical damage, you might be concerned about it, and maybe you’re already using some type of antioxidant therapy in your own life to combat it. I am so happy to hear that you are trying to become a healthier you! But, do you know WHY you’re eating all of those blueberries or walnuts? “I’m doing it because it’s good for me! Duh!” You’re right that you’re doing your body a service, but why? And what are the implications if you don’t? Keep reading, my friends. Let’s talk free radicals and antioxidants!

Every cell in your body (and in all living things) is made up of tons of teeny, tiny compounds called molecules that are constantly communicating and co-mingling with each other. These molecular relationships are responsible for the success of literally every single process or chemical reaction in your body! Each molecule carries around its own set of electrons and, put simply, the types of relationships between molecules are decided by the presence or absence of electron pairs. See, molecules hate having an electron without a partner, and they will go to great lengths to avoid it! Imagine that each molecule is an exclusive social group where each person represents an electron. The only requirement to keep the group calm and happy is for every person to have a partner. They are so serious about this requirement, in fact, that a group with a single person might try to merge with another group with an eligible bachelor or bachelorette in hopes that sparks will fly. Or, that person might even be kicked out and forced to find a new group entirely! (Rude!)

Due to the sheer volume of reactions constantly occurring in your body, sometimes a molecule will lose an electron by accident. This can happen in response to everyday internal processes (which is completely normal, even in the healthiest of people) or as a result of external sources. Common external culprits of these errors include cigarette smoke, certain medications, alcohol, pesticides, environmental pollutants, and contact with UV rays or X-rays, just to name a few. When this happens, that molecule is referred to as a free radical. In the terms of our previous analogy, a free radical is a social group which, after communicating with one or more other groups, suddenly loses a member. As we have learned, this makes the group go into a frenzy! Singletons are unacceptable! Because the group is so desperate to find a partner for its lone ranger, it becomes very unstable and tries to force itself onto as many other groups as it possibly can, even if the communication is unwelcome. If the singles cannot forge a connection, each group gets upset, angry words are likely exchanged and, almost always, one of the groups ends up with a damaged ego. This can even begin a chain reaction where many other groups lose members in response to all of the chaos and become equally desperate and crazy. In other words, when a free radical is formed, it becomes obsessed with finding an electron at all costs. It will react with any molecule it can, often causing damage to these unsuspecting victims and sometimes creating new free radicals in the process. And keep in mind, these victims can be any molecule: fats, proteins, and even DNA! The damage inflicted inside your cells can make them unable to perform vital functions. As you might imagine, that’s not good!

Stressful! Is there any hope? Yes! Certain molecules have the ability to stop free radicals in their tracks. What are they? (You already know!) Antioxidants!! Antioxidants are peacekeeping molecules. In our analogy, a social group functioning as an antioxidant is calm and stable enough to donate a member without chaos, giving the frantic free radical group the extra person it so desperately desires. Once its single member becomes a pair, the group uproar disappears and everything goes back to normal. Essentially, antioxidants are able to neutralize free radicals by giving them an electron to replace the one that was lost.

The formation of free radicals in your body is inevitable; even healthy activities, like exercise, can trigger it! And some even serve important purposes, like killing pathogenic bacteria before it can infect us. As with all things, balance is key. When free radicals outnumber antioxidants, cell damage can grow out of control. Scientific research is still being conducted to understand these processes further, but many of the diseases that currently plague our society, including cancer and atherosclerosis, have been deemed the result of this type of cell destruction.

So, where do you find antioxidants? Well, you have some inside of you right now that have been created through your normal body processes. You’re a well-oiled machine! Others, on the other hand, cannot be made internally and must come from your diet. Vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E (remember: ACE) are all exceptional antioxidants found in several plant foods. Keep in mind that vitamins are degraded by heat, so food sources of these vitamins in their raw form will contain higher antioxidant power. There are also countless other phytonutrients with antioxidant properties, enough to warrant several more blog posts! Though we won’t go into detail about those yet, here’s a list of some of the most antioxidant-rich foods.

  • Dried spices – especially cloves, oregano, rosemary, thyme, cinnamon and turmeric
  • Raw berries – especially blueberries and cranberries
  • Any raw or uncooked, dried fruits – especially pomegranates, red delicious apples (with the skin!), cherries, peaches, and plums
  • Unpasteurized fruit juices (make these at home to avoid foodborne illness)
  • Pecans
  • Walnuts
  • Pistachios
  • Artichokes
  • Chocolate (Yes!)
  • Brewed coffee

Happy eating!!

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