Free Radicals and the Human Body
April 19, 2009 by Dr. Lorna Mistranski
Filed under Diet
The best way to fully comprehend what free radicals are is to look at them from a cellular level in that the human body is made up of all kinds of cells.
Cells are comprised of various types of molecules and these molecules consist of one or more atoms of one or more elements held together by a chemical bond.
An atom is made up of a nucleus, proton, electrons, and neutrons and where the amount of protons (particles that are positively charged) in the nucleus is what determines how many electrons (particles with a negative charge) will surround the atom.
The role of the electrons is to manage chemical reactions that occur inside the atom as well as the substances that makes the atoms form molecules. Much like planets, electrons revolve around the atom in one or more shells.
When two electrons fill the innermost layer it is considered full. Once the second shell is full, the process stats all over again.
The number of electrons in an atom’s outer shell id the most important structural characteristic.
Maximum stability is reached when the atom has a full outer shell. This is the ideal condition every atom seeks to attain and is achieved by the following conditions:
Picking up or dropping electrons that will either occupy or leave the outer shell
Bonding together with other atoms and sharing electrons to complete the outer most shell
The typical way an atom achieves maximum stability is sharing electrons with other atoms. This allows the conditions to for the atoms sustain the molecules in the most efficient way.
Often, the bonds that the atoms form remain in tact so that maximum stability is maintained. However, when these bonds do tear, the highly unstable free radical is born and swiftly seeks to make itself more stable.
Free radicals like to attack by locating the closest cell that has maximum stability and begins to steal electrons. Eventually these attacked molecules become free radicals themselves. The process will continue until eventually cellular damage occurs.
Free radicals will frequently arrive during metabolism and sometimes the body will even produce them to fight off viruses and bacteria. Free radicals also come from pollution such as radiation, cigarette smoke, and pesticides.
Typically, the body is able to handle free radicals, but if antioxidants are unavailable, or if the free-radical production becomes excessive, damage can occur. Most importantly is that free radical damage accumulates with age.
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