What are antioxidants and how do they work?
An antioxidant “quenches” free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules — missing one or more electrons — that are created continuously in the body during the normal process of “burning” food for energy so that cells can function. Other factors — pollution, smoking, sunshine, even exercise — also create free radicals. Because electrons prefer to exist in pairs, free radicals will “steal” electrons from other molecules in cells, leaving new unpaired electrons in their wake. Healthy cells usually are able to repair this damage, but, over time, the process can wear them down and harm proteins, cell membranes, and genetic material. It’s thought that free radical damage is at the root of aging and such chronic diseases as coronary heart disease and cancer. In this ongoing battle, antioxidants are the peacemakers. The idea behind antioxidant supplements is that if some antioxidants are good, then more and more of them would be better — a notion that unfortunately rarely holds true
