Free Radicals-II

Free radicals are atoms or molecules that are highly reactive with our cells because they contain unpaired electrons. Free radicals are natural by-products of several biological functions and bio chemical reactions. Free radicals are found in food, water, air etc.

They are causing severe damage to all the parts of the cells like proteins, cell membrane, nucleus, DNA etc. by stealing electrons through oxidation. That is why free radical damage is called Oxidative Damage.

When free radicals damage our cells our cells lose their ability to function properly. Continuous damage by free radicals will kill the cells and cause illness.

There are certain compounds or chemicals that reduce the formation of free radicals. Otherwise these compounds will react with free radicals and neutralise them. These compounds are called antioxidants.

The antioxidants work by donating required number of electrons to free radicals and they oxidise other cellular components. Once the unpaired electrons of the free radicals are paired, the free radicals stabilise and become nontoxic to cells.  The main function of the antioxidants is cleaning or scavenging free radicals from our cells.

How does our body fight against free radical formation and maintain balance?

Our cells produce enzymes which will fight against free radicals. Our cells also produce natural antioxidants and scavenge the free radicals produced in the cells.  Antioxidants will limit the formation of free radicals and prevent oxidative damage to our cells.

Fruits and vegetables contain essential and vital compounds like Carotene, Beta carotene, Lycopene, Lutein etc.  These compounds protect the cells and their parts. They help in fighting against the damage caused due to free radicals.

Vitamin E and vitamin C in their natural form help in rehabilitating the cells that are damaged due to free radicals. Thus fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants in their natural form. So plenty of fruits and vegetables should be included in our diet.

Our body has self- repairing mechanism against the damages caused by free radicals. This system will repair and replace the damaged building blocks of the cells. This  system self-repairs the damaged DNA, other nucleic acids with the help of various specialised enzymes.

The system removes the damaged bits, replaces the correct sequence of molecules. The self-repairing system of our body will set right the damaged DNA strands also. All the damaged parts of the cells will be replaced within a few days. Thus the self-repairing system will revive the damaged cells.

It is not necessary that the number of free radicals present in our body to be zero. Our body should strike a balance between the number of free radicals generated in our body and the defense and the repair mechanism available. Our body has to keep the oxidative damage low so that repair and replacement mechanism can be undertaken.

A properly balanced diet plays a vital role in keeping the oxidative damage under control.  Proper dose of vitamins and mineral supplement will prevent the formation of free radicals in our body. Antioxidants present in fruits and vegetables will remove the ill effects of free radicals and hence prevent oxidative damage due to free radicals.

Concluded