What is the function of free radicals?

Oxygen in the body splits into single atoms with unpaired electrons. Electrons like to be in pairs, so these atoms, called free radicals, scavenge the body to seek out other electrons so they can become a pair. This causes damage to cells, proteins and DNA.

Are free radicals good or bad?

Free radicals damage contributes to the etiology of many chronic health problems such as cardiovascular and inflammatory disease, cataract, and cancer. Antioxidants prevent free radical induced tissue damage by preventing the formation of radicals, scavenging them, or by promoting their decomposition.

What are free radicals with examples?

Table 1

Why are free radicals so reactive?

Because of their odd electrons, free radicals are usually highly reactive. In all these reactions, each simple free radical, because of its single unpaired electron, is able to combine with one other radical or atom containing a single unpaired electron.

How antioxidants fight free radicals?

Antioxidants neutralize free radicals by giving up some of their own electrons. In making this sacrifice, they act as a natural “off” switch for the free radicals. This helps break a chain reaction that can affect other molecules in the cell and other cells in the body.

How do antioxidants stabilize free radicals?

How do antioxidants neutralize free radicals?

Antioxidants neutralize free radicals either by providing the extra electron needed to make the pair, or by breaking down the free radical molecule to render it harmless. “Antioxidants stop the chain reaction of free radical formation and benefit our health by boosting our immune system ,” explains Prabhu.

What are free radicals and why are they dangerous?

Free radicals are atoms that contain an unpaired electron. Due to this lack of a stable number of outer shell electrons, they are in a constant search to bind with another electron to stabilize themselves—a process that can cause damage to DNA and other parts of human cells.

What happens when a free radical steals an electron?

When one free radical “steals” an electron from a molecule, that molecule is then missing an electron (becomes a free radical), and so on. Free radicals can damage not only DNA (nucleic acids), but proteins, lipids, cell membranes, and more in the body.

What are some examples of free radical diseases?

Cancer and atherosclerosis, two major causes of death, are salient “free radical” diseases. Cancer initiation and promotion is associated with chromosomal defects and oncogene activation. It is possible that endogenous free radical reactions, like those initiated by ionizing radiation, may result in tumor formation.

What are free radicals and how do they affect aging?

Over time, researchers have tweaked the free radical theory of aging to focus on the mitochondria. Mitochondria are tiny organelles in cells that process nutrients to power the cell. Research on rats suggests that free radicals produced in the mitochondria damage the substances that the cell needs to work properly.

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