How Much Do We Know About Free Radicals?

Free radicals, oxidation, and cell damage. Its fairly common knowledge that our body's are constantly under attack. Many people have also at least heard that the antioxidants in acai berries, mangosteen and blueberries are great for eliminating them.

However, you may not know what any of this means. Many people hear health claims about a product like Acai berries, but because they don't understand what free radicals or antioxidants are, they dismiss them as a scam or snake oil.

The truth of the matter is, while research into free radicals and oxidization is still relatively new, there are a number of things that we do know. We are starting to understand free radicals links to disease, and we are learning what antioxidants are, and why they work.

When scientists discovered a link between an artery clogging disease called atheroclerosis and free radicals, new research quickly got under way.

Scientists now believe that free radical damage is linked to stroke, several skin diseases, Alzheimer's disease and Cancer. Free radical damage may be linked to all signs of aging according to some theories.

In a free radical molecule, only one electron is present. Molecules with only one electron are very unstable. You might remember that from high school science classes. A molecule with one electron is out of balance, and needs to join with another electron.

A typical example of this, is water or H2O. In water, there is one oxygen molecule, and 2 hydrogen molecules. Notice there is only 1 oxygen molecule, while the oxygen you breath is O2. O2 tells you there are 2 oxygen molecules. O1 or one oxygen molecule cannot exist on its own. It combines with the hydrogen molecules to change its form into water.

Oxidization is the name given to this chemical reaction. The hydrogen oxidizes into water, once the binding occurs. And you get something completely different - water.

Rust, is another type of oxidization. Rust is also known as ferrous-oxide. When an oxygen molecule binds with iron, ferrous-oxide is formed.

The same thing happens in your body. A few of the known causes of free radicals are chemicals, cigarrete smoke and pollution.

Whatever the cause, these free radicals enter the body looking for other molecules to join with. The joining of the free radicals to your cells causes changes at a molecular level. The molecule changes into something else, just like water and rust. In your bodies case this can be cancer, clogged arteries, Alzheimer’s disease and more.

There is a good understanding of how free radicals work, even though research is still ongoing. Free radicals only have a single electron, so they need to attach to your cells. Once they have attached, the cell changes its structure.

Antioxidants or organisms that fight free radicals. Fortunately, its possible for your to increase your levels of these antioxidants with foods such as Acai berries, blueberries and mangosteen.

There are still many discoveries to be made in the links between disease and free radicals and how to fight them. But, its critical we continue the fight.