Antioxidants & Free Radicals

What is an antioxidant is and why are they beneficial?

Free radicals are molecules generated by the body upon exposure to toxins, viruses, fungi or germs. They contain extra oxygen electron and destroy our cells, including harming our DNA, accelerating the ageing process, taxing our immune system - and eventually can cause cancer/growths. Hence we want to avoid ‘oxidisation’ - the adding of an oxygen to a compound, making it harmful in the body. The reason why I went on about polyunsaturated vegetable oils, margarine and fried foods being bad is because they are full of free radicals and so stress the immune system (unless they are truly cold pressed, stored properly and not heated).

Antioxidants ‘mop up’ these free radicals and neutralising this extra oxygen electron. Antioxidants include vitamins E, A, C, several of the B vitamins, the minerals selenium and zinc, bioflavonoids, cysteine (an amino acid) and various enzymes. The more toxins you are exposed to (pollution, cigarette smoke, alcohol, rancid food, badly stored/cooked food etc) the more antioxidants you need in your diet to neutralise them.