Antioxidants Benefits & Adverse effects - Dr. Priyanka Dasari Reddy

Scientists have also pointed to free radicals as the cause of some of the symptoms of aging, such as atherosclerosis, alcohol-induced liver damage, alpha 1-antitrypsin in the lung, and even emphysema. Now, don't get this wrong. Free radicals are still necessary for life, but in order to prevent yourself from developing these diseases, you need to take action in keeping free radicals at a minimum. 

The minute your body starts to process oxygen in order to produce energy is the first step to potentially developing a disease or starting the slow process of aging. It's normal and it is a part of life. Certainly, it can't be completely dispelled. It can however be controlled. Now, by "control", we don't mean controlling the process of oxidation itself, but controlling the outcome of it. 

Based on their findings, scientists say that by the time you are 20 years old, most of the cells that make up your body have already used up half of their available cell divisions in their cell lifespan. That means by the time you are 40, your cells may only have 30 per cent of cell divisions left. This is actually the reason behind the physical changes that goes on not only inside but outside the body as you approach your years. 

The data on antioxidant vitamins is incomplete for the most part but up to 30 percent of Americans are already taking some form of antioxidant vitamin supplement along with their diet. Due to the lack of sufficient data to support the success of antioxidant vitamins supplement against cardiovascular diseases and other such degenerative illnesses, the American Heart Association does not recommend using antioxidant vitamins supplements. 

By neutralizing, they themselves become oxidized. For this reason, our bodies are always in need of a constant source of antioxidants. How antioxidants work is a two-way process. First is the chain-breaking. This is where the antioxidant comes in to break the chain reaction of free radicals turning other molecules into free radicals like them. 

How Antioxidant Foods Work Oxidation is a naturally occurring process in the body so there is really no way for us to avoid or prevent it from happening. Even the mere act of breathing causes oxidation to take place. That being said, free radicals, as by-products of oxidation, will always be present in our body.