Wellness Wednesday on Empty Streets: Antioxidants and the effects of Free Radicals

Antioxidants have been the talk of the town for quite sometime now and we see a lot of food and drinks that have been tagged as rich in antioxidants - however do we really know what these things do to our body and why is it really so important to use them to get rid of free radicals?

Antioxidants are derived from fruits and vegetables and based on the name itself is Anti-Oxidation, since the things we call free radicals are caused be degenerated cell molecules that have been affected by Oxygenation. A good example for this would be a cut apple left out in the open - observe how it quickly starts to turn brown - that is the effect of oxygenation in the body. Now free radicals are molecules that have lost a strong bond from it's pair molecule caused by oxygenation and it damages other molecular bonds by trying to steal what was lost and thus destroying the bond of the molecules it has stolen from - the result is a chain reaction.

Antioxidants have the ability to give back freely what was lost to these free radicals without having any adverse effect on them. This inadvertently stops the cycle. There have been extensive studies that have shown how free radicals have directly influenced the following diseases:

• Cancer
• Hardened Arteries
• Arthritis
• Edema
• Advanced aging

Leading causes of free radicals are:

• Pollution
• Smoking
• Lack of exercise
• Lack of sleep
• Unhealthy Diet

By now am sure I have you at the edge of your seats wondering where in the world can I find the cure to stop the spreads, where do I get my hands on these antioxidants? The answer is amazingly simple - Eat more fruits and vegetables - Berries in particular have the highest concentration of antioxidants. Several studies have been made and proven to a degree that a person's lifespan is directly proportional to the amount of antioxidants is present in the body. So if you want to age gracefully and live long it is strongly advised that you should start consuming a lot of fresh goodness and kick the bad habits that aggravate the production of free radicals.

Here's a video to help you see visually what occurs inside your body: