Free Radicals and Antioxidants

Today we are going to have a little chat about free radicals and antioxidants.

The idea that free radicals were a cause of aging and age-related defects was first postulated in the 1950's by Denham Harman, a noble prize nominee in medicine. He hypothesized that free radicals damaged cells which caused or increased aging and that anti-oxidants might reduce or stop these effects. However, before we discuss that, lets discuss Free radicals in slightly more detail.

Scientifically speaking, free radicals are atoms with an unpaired electron in their outer shell. These unpaired electrons make free radicals highly unstable and can lead to cell damage. A free radical atom seeks out other atoms that it can bond with to become stable. The newly formed bond between the two atoms creates a molecule that can have a major impact on the function of the cell.

That’s all pretty complicated, but what does that mean to us? Why should we care about what the electrons in our body are up too? The problem is that our bodies are incredibly intricate and complex things. On a molecular or cellular level, a single electron (too many or too few) can wreak havoc. This can lead to cell damage, cellular mutations and even changes to DNA molecules.

Through Dr. Harman’s research and the research of countless others, we have learned that he was on to something. It is now generally accepted that many of the degenerative diseases caused by aging involve free radical processes and that, cumulatively, these make you age. While most of the medical community is waiting to see better research, many leading scientists believe that aging itself might be partially caused by free radicals, though this has yet to be proven.

Whether or not free radicals "cause" aging, we at least know that they cause many of the degenerative effects of aging and have been linked to numerous diseases. Many forms of cancer are believed to be the result of free radicals effecting DNA, which results in mutations.

Now I want you to know that not all free radicals are bad. In fact many of the basic processes of life, such as breathing and fighting infection, require the creation and use of free radicals. The danger arises in free radicals that are created by unnatural means including radiation (such as from overexposure to the sun), pesticides, over eating and many other regular aspects of American life.

So now that we know that our bodies can be affected by these potentially dangerous free radicals, what can we do to protect ourselves? The answer is actually one that you may have heard of before: Antioxidants.

Scientifically speaking an antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation of other molecules, which is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons from one substance to another.

In layman’s terms, Antioxidants can stop existing free radicals from stealing other molecule’s electrons. This means that they can stop or at least lessen the damage that free radicals cause within our bodies.

Antioxidants occur all throughout nature in many of the fruits and vegetables we eat as well as various herbs and spices. They include common vitamins such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin E as well as lesser known flavonoids, which are present in many grapes and berries, and the hormone Melatonin.

Studies, many of which were based on Dr. Harman's original research, have suggested that anti-oxidants may help us with aging and age-related problems that are caused by free radical cellular damage.

As you may have guessed by this point, Resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant. In fact, grapes are often highly recommended for their antioxidant values. This again brings us to ReserveAge Organics. Unlike most other companies, ReserveAge Organics’ use of organic grapes improves the quality and strength of the antioxidants found within the grapes and the Resveratrol made from them.

For those of you interested, ReserveAge Organics makes a great Ultimate Antioxidant product filled with those yummy antioxidants.