Antioxidant
Ever wondered how you get all those
wrinkles? Those annoying crow’s feet at the corners of your eyes? Or
those laugh lines around your mouth? Sure, these things are but part
of the normal aging process. But what causes aging anyway? And is
there anyway to retard it?
In biological systems, the normal
processes of oxidation are what lead to aging. Oxidation causes the
production of substances called free radicals which are highly
reactive. These free radicals can readily react with and damage
other molecules. Note that it says “molecules” so that means free
radicals don’t make the distinction between foreign bodies and
healthy cells. And when free radicals start attacking the body’s own
cells, you can guess what the results are – Aging.
If only there was a way to get rid of
those harmful free radicals…
Well, have we got good news for you?
Free radicals are natural enemies of antioxidants. The function of
antioxidants is to destroy harmful free radicals, counteracting the
damaging of tissues and in effect, treating aging or causing its
retardation.
Antioxidants are commonplace in
nature. In fact, antioxidants are abundant in more common vitamins
such as retinol or Vitamin A, ascorbic acid or Vitamin C, tocopherol
or Vitamin E, and selenium. They can be nutrients (vitamins and
minerals) as well as enzymes (proteins in your body that assist in
chemical reactions). Antioxidants are believed to play an important
role in preventing the development of such chronic illnesses as
heart disease, stroke, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, Rheumatoid
arthritis, and cataracts.
Although antioxidants cannot
completely rid our bodies of free radicals, they can however work to
retard or minimize the damage caused. Antioxidants block the process
of oxidation by neutralizing free radicals. By neutralizing, they
themselves become oxidized. For this reason, our bodies are always
in need of a constant source of antioxidants.
How antioxidants work is a two-way
process. First is the chain-breaking. This is where the antioxidant
comes in to break the chain reaction of free radicals turning other
molecules into free radicals like them. Chain-breaking is also
called Stabilization.
The other aspect is more on the
preventive side. Antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase,
catalase, and glutathione peroxidase prevent oxidation by reducing
the rate of chain initiation. This time, instead of waiting for the
free radicals to make a long chain of free radicals, antioxidants
scavenge initiating radicals and destroy them before oxidation is
set in motion.
Thus, aging is delayed and not only
that, diseases and other illnesses caused by harmful free radicals
are avoided.
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Antioxidants
