Free Radical Vs. Antioxidant

Free radicals are unstable, unbound molecules that float around in the body looking for other molecules to bond with. They have an uneven number of electrons because they are missing an electron from their outer shell. The bad thing about free radicals is, they will steal electrons from areas of the body like the blood, skin, lipids, proteins, RNA or DNA. These free radicals can cause damage to DNA.

Free radicals can come from pollution, medications, radiation, chemicals, viral, bacterial, or fungal infections, or they can be a waste by-product from the cells creating energy. These can also be a result of too many polyunsaturated fats like seed oils and vegetable oils. They are everywhere, and they cause inflammation of the cells.

Antioxidants, on the other hand are also unstable, unbound molecules that float around the body. Unlike free radicals, they will not steal electrons from other areas of the body. They will, however, pair with an unbound free radical. This helps bring the body back into harmony. Some sources of antioxidants include Vitamin C, Vitamin E, beta carotene, turmeric, lipoic acid, selenium, and phenolic acids.

Sometimes free radicals are used by the immune system to fight against invaders by synthesizing hydrogen peroxide. When the body is overwhelmed by the number of free radicals, this unbalance is called oxidative stress. Oxidative stress causes premature aging and disease. The body uses antioxidants and enzymes to as a defense mechanism to combat oxidative stress, but sometimes it is not enough and it gets overwhelmed. This is when people start to get symptoms. This is when their toxic bucket is overflowing. See my YouTube channel for my series on “Understanding What’s Making You Sick.” https://www.youtube.com/@FInishWellHealthCoachingLLC