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How Free Radicals Harm Our Body & How to Get Rid of It!

Have you ever wondered how free radicals are made inside our body?

Is it something harmful or useful?

YES. We need free radicals inside our body in certain times.

✓ To protect the cells from threatening foreign cells during an inflammation/injury.

BUT why it is considered HARMFUL?

First, let's see how they are made.

When a molecule/atom loses its electron, it becomes unstable. This kind of molecules/atoms are called free radicals. They are highly reactive and capable of harming other molecules and atoms. To become stable, they attack other molecules and steal electrons. Then the molecule that got attacked becomes 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.

Let's see what are the factors that accelerate the production of free radicals inside our body:

• Exposure to UV radiation
• Active or passive smoking
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Exposure to environmental pollutants
• Wrong dietary practices (Consumption of meals with high fat/sugar)
• Too much exercise / physical stress

Let's see, how our body gets affected by free radicals:

Skin Cells
Fibers like collagen and elastin get damaged making mutate and dead cells. This contributes to the process of “Aging” happening faster.

Nerve Cells
In extreme cases, cells in the brain can get damaged which can lead to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease.

Blood Vessels
Cells in the blood vessel membrane get damaged. To cover up the damage the Liver produces Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL) more than the body usually requires, which finally results in having uncontrolled levels of total Cholesterol in blood.

SO, how can we get rid of these FREE RADICALS?

The solution is consuming Anti-oxidants.

Anti-oxidants 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.

Research shows that plants like Aloe vera, Onion, Garlic, Cinnamon, Black Cumin, Curry Leaf, Fenugreek, Neem, Ginger and Turmeric contain various anti-oxidants.

Fruits that are rich in anti-oxidants: Papaya, Mango, Tomato, Egg Fruit, Melon, Berries, Lemons, Guava and Avocado.