What are antioxidants and how are they beneficial to the body?!


Question: What are antioxidants and how are they beneficial to the body!?
Answers:
Antioxidant is a type of molecule that neutralizes harmful compounds called free radicals that damage living cells, spoil food, and degrade materials!. Antioxidants can take the form of enzymes in the body, vitamin supplements, or industrial additives!. They are routinely added to metals, oils, foodstuffs, and other materials to prevent free radical damage!. (spoilage, rusting or burning)

Radical (Free Radical)

Radical (chemistry): - also free radical, in chemistry, a molecule with one unpaired electron, or a molecule with two or more unpaired electrons that do not interact with each other!. Free radicals are often very reactive and unstable!. They occur in body chemistry, in processes such as the destruction of invading organisms by white blood cells!. Free radicals might play a role in various maladies, such as arthritis, heart disease, and Alzheimer's disease!. When natural enzyme controls fail, free radicals in the body attack lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids!.

Oxidation and Antioxidants

Free radicals are produced under certain environmental conditions and during normal cellular function in the body!. These molecules are missing an electron, giving them an electric charge!. To neutralize this charge, free radicals try to steal an electron from, or donate an electron to, a neighboring molecule!. This process, called oxidation, creates a new free radical from the neighboring molecule!. The newly created free radical, in turn, searches out another molecule and steals or donates an electron, setting off a chain reaction that can damage hundreds of molecules!.
Antioxidants halt this chain reaction!. Some antioxidants are themselves free radicals, donating electrons to stabilize and neutralize the dangerous free radicals!. Other antioxidants work against the molecules that form free radicals, destroying them before they can begin the domino effect that leads to oxidative damage!.

Antioxidant in the Human Body

About 5 percent of the oxygen humans breathe is converted into free radicals!. The presence of free radicals in the body is not always detrimental!. Free radicals produced in normal cellular metabolism are vital to certain body functions, such as fighting disease or injury!. When tissue is diseased or damaged, the body



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