Simply put free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms that can cause damage to your body. For instance, damaging your immune system cells, also causing diseases such as heart disease, cancer and making you age quicker than you should.
A regular atom has electrons that are paired forming a chemically stable arrangement, but if you have an atom that contains at least one unpaired electron it is call a free radical. They "freely" join the first atom or molecule they bump into causing a chemical reaction. This process can go on and on unless held in check by antioxidants and enzymes. Free radicals may exist only for a short time, but the damage that they do affects the body tremendously.
Free radicals do serve a purpose they are produced in your body in small numbers. Not all of them are dangerous in normal circumstances. They are produced by the immune system to destroy bacteria and viruses. They also play a major part in activating enzymes, producing energy, and hormones. But if there is an excessive amount of them they can do more extensive damage.
To give you an example how free radicals work inside the body, we will look at how they work outside the body.
Have you ever cut an apple and saved it until later on? Did you see how the oxidation start turning the apple brown? Those are free radicals at work! The free radicals also turn the cells "rancid" in our bodies . . . that is why (anti) oxidants are so important.
Free radicals are usually naturalized by the free radical scavengers enzymes. They are made in your body for this purpose. Although enzymes and antioxidants can be obtained from food sources, for example vegetables and fruits, it is difficult to get enough of these compounds because of our depleted environment and pollution. So we can combat free radicals by taking antioxidants and enzymes for protection.
Some conditions that are ripe for free radical production is exposure to environmental pollutant such as tobacco smoke, exhaust fumes, radiation, industrial pollutants, household cleaners, and lack of nutrients in your diet. When there is a lack of nutrients, oxidation of the oxygen molecules begins causing free radicals to be able to cause damage to the body.
