What is a free radical?
Since a free radical is so important to your health, I m going to take some time and space to explain it. First, a free radical is something very small. It is invisible to the eye or even a microscope — for instance, it can be something as simple as a single atom of hydrogen. Let me start with that form of free radical. Hydrogen is a very common element in our universe. Years ago people filled balloons with hydrogen — the balloon would rise in the air, of course. Then a giant air ship Hindenburg, filled with hydrogen, exploded and burned, causing many deaths. Hydrogen is a very reactive gas. These reactions are the actions of free radicals — rushing to get out of their reactive condition. The great bulk of the mass of our sun is made up of hydrogen which is “burning” in about the same way that a hydrogen bomb “burns.” We have a great deal of hydrogen here on earth. For instance, every drop of water is made up of two parts of hydrogen and one part of oxygen. Some of our most importan
A free radical is a cellular killer that causes damage by corroding cell membranes, damaging DNA, altering biochemical compounds, and killing cells. Technically, a free radical is a molecule that has lost one of its electrons and become extremely unbalanced. It attempts to restore its balance by stealing a vital electron from another cell. Scientists have now proven that free radicals play a major role in the aging process as well as cancer, heart disease and strokes, arthritis,cataracts,Parkinson’s Disease, allergies as well as many other diseases. A single free radical can destroy an enzyme, a protein molecule, a DNA strand or an entire cell. What’s worse is that in a fraction of a second it can cause a chain reaction that produces millions of additional free radicals.
