Insider’s Guide to Free Radicals
Damage from free radicals requires becoming more mindful of our diet.
Imagine a huge ballroom dance in which couples are whirling and twirling to the music.
Until a single, unpaired dancer enters the ballroom. He cuts in on another dancing couple. This leaves one of the original couples without a partner.
This new lone dancer disrupts another couple by cutting in. This odd-man-out scenario creates chaos. A chain reaction of changing partners disrupts the dance again and again.
When molecules in our body do this it’s called oxidative stress.
Free radicals are molecules with a missing electron. They seek out sources from which they can steal an electron.
After they get an electron, the donor molecule is often damaged. When this electron shuffling is widespread it can become a major health problem.
Oxidative stress from free radicals is a natural process. Our body uses it when we exercise or fight an infection. It’s a normal part of the body’s intricate system of keeping itself healthy.
Yet, when there are too many free radicals problems can result. It can contribute to a variety of modern day inflammatory diseases. Conditions such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, heart disease and high blood pressure can result. Even Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer and many neurological diseases are implicated.
The solution?
Thanks in part to intensive marketing by the food and supplement industries, there’s a widely held belief that if something contains ‘antioxidants’ it’s automatically good for us. But the scientific evidence behind this claim is pretty thin on the ground – thin enough to lead the Advertising Standards Authority to ask tea-makers Tetley to withdraw their advert for green tea. These sorts of claims pop up all the time in advertising, particularly for foods and drinks.
There’s another problem with the simplistic theory that antioxidants = good, free radicals = bad: our bodies also use free radicals in positive ways. They’re not simply villains – they also play an essential role in regulating key systems like our immune system. As with so many things in the body, we need balance. We need the right amount of free radicals, and the right amount of antioxidants to keep them in check. Better not interfere and let the body regulate itself.
The only real and proven way to help reduce excessive oxidative stress is to Reduce Exposure – The old adage, “When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging,” comes to mind. Look for ways to reduce the oxidative stress on your body. This can include reducing your exposure to ozone, pesticides, tobacco smoke and pollution. Reduce alcohol and sugar in all its many forms.
