HOW FREE RADICALS HARM OUR BODY & HOW TO GET RID OF IT!
๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐?
Is it something harmful or useful?
๐ฌ๐๐ฆ. ๐ช๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ๐.ย
โ To protect the cells from threating foreign cells during an inflammation/injury.ย
๐๐จ๐ง ๐๐ต๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐?
First, letโs see how they are made.ย
When a molecule/ atom ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ its electron, it becomes unstable. This kind of molecules/atoms are called free radicals. They are ๐ต๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐น๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด other molecules and atoms. To become stable, they attack other molecules and steal electrons. Then the molecule that got attacked become a free radical. This happens as a cascade, forming abundant free radicals inside the body, ultimately leading to an oxidative stress. Cells become weak, mutate or die as a circumstance of oxidative stress.ย
Letโs see what are the factors that accelerate the production of free radicals inside our body.
โ ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐จ๐ฉ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
โ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐บ๐ผ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด
โ ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐น๐ฐ๐ผ๐ต๐ผ๐น ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐๐บ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
โ ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐น๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐
โ ๐ช๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ (๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐๐บ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ต๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ณ๐ฎ๐/๐๐๐ด๐ฎ๐ฟ)
โ ๐ง๐ผ๐ผ ๐บ๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ฒ/ ๐ฝ๐ต๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ย
Exposure to above factors can create free radicals inside your body.
Let’s see, how our body get affected by free radicals.
๐ฆ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น๐
Fibers like collagen and elastin get damaged making mutate and dead cells. This contributes to the process of โ๐๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ดโ happens faster.ย
๐ก๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ย
In extreme cases, ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฑ which can lead to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimerโs disease.ย
๐๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ฉ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐น๐
Cells in the blood vessel membrane get damaged. To cover up the damage the Liver produces Low Density Lipoproteins (๐๐๐) more than the body usually requires. When free radicals continue to damage cells, the frequency of ๐๐๐ production also goes up which finally results in having uncontrolled levels of total Cholesterol in blood. Increased production of ๐๐๐ can block the arteries that leads into many cardiovascular diseases.ย
๐ฆ๐ข, ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ?
The solution is consuming ๐๐ป๐๐ถ-๐ผ๐ ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐.
๐๐ป๐๐ถ-๐ผ๐ ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ are present in many natural food sources such as vegetables, yams, grains and fruits. There is a variety of anti-oxidants including Carotenoids, Flavonoids, Vitamin C & E.
These anti-oxidants can donate electrons to free radicals, neutralizing them inside the body.ย
Researches show that plants like: ๐๐น๐ผ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ, ๐ข๐ป๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ, ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ป๐ฎ๐บ๐ผ๐ป, ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐๐บ๐ถ๐ป, ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ณ, ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ, ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฒ๐บ, ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐ง๐๐ฟ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ ..etc., contain various anti-oxidants.ย
Fruits that are rich in anti-oxidants: ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ, ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ผ, ๐ง๐ผ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ผ, ๐๐ด๐ด ๐๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐, ๐ ๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ป, ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐, ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐, ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ผ.ย
๐บ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐s ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐!
/By Anusha Abeywardana
(B.Sc. (Hons.) in Pharmacy
University of Colombo