Basically, antioxidants are nutrients
that prevent or reduce the production of free radicals,
those unstable molecules that can attack healthy cells
and lead to cancer, cardiovascular disease, aging processes
and complications with diabetes. The major culprit in
free radical formation is a process called oxidation,
the same action that rusts metal and turns butter rancid.
Although oxidation has a positive metabolic function--providing
the body with fuel--it also causes free radicals. In the
process of being broken down for energy, oxygen molecules
lose an electron and become unstable. They then seek out
a stable molecule from a healthy cell to pair with--creating
more dangerous, unstable molecules. Antioxidants serve
as electron donors and deactivate these molecules, preventing
them from injuring cells |
