Free radicals are cell damaging by- products formed in our body when molecules of fat react with oxygen. This process is similar to that of cooking oil becoming rancid upon exposure to air and humidity. This biochemical tears up cells to cause both ageing and disease. Our cells are faced with hundreds of thousands of free radical each day. Thank God we can survive.
The major contributors to free radicals are environmental toxins- air pollution, toxins in water and food and excessive ultraviolet radiation due to the destruction of ozone layers. Alcohol, smoking, drugs and the stress of daily living can all increase free radical load in the body.
Free radicals also attack and destroy immune system cells. The body's army of white blood cells also looses its ability to discriminate between friend and foe and treacherously attack the body's own cell. Cancer and AIDS are two devastating illnesses in which the body's immune defenses are overwhelmed by free radicals.
Always take food that is high in antioxidants because it is known as natural cell protectors.
