What Are Antioxidants – Antioxidants And Free Radicals Explained – What Are Free Radicals
In this video we discuss what are Antioxidants and what are Free Radicals, some of the antioxidant benefits, how antioxidants work, and how the battle between free radicals vs antioxidants takes place.
Transcript (partial)
Antioxidants and free radicals, this is a story about giving. Lets start by meeting our full cast of characters. First we have Omar, the oxygen atom.
Thank you Omar. Next we have Bobby bacteria. . And next we have Guy, the good free radical. And here comes trouble, meet Freddie, the bad free radical. Next up is Aaron, the cell. And lastly our heroine, yes, a female superhero, Annie the Antioxidant.
Alright, clear the stage, except Omar, you step forward. Ok folks, so we are going to go through a quick review of basic atomic structure. Omar, I need you to go transparent for me, so they can see your insides. 1 sec to do command. Thank you Omar.
So, in the inner part of an atom is the nucleus, which contains neutrons and protons. And the two orbits around the nucleus contain electrons. The main thing to remember is electrons, we are going to deal with them later. Ok Omar, you can get out of here.
So, lets discuss free radicals now. Free radicals are electron seeking entities. You remember Freddie, the bad free radical, well, he and some of his buddies enter the body, and they are looking for Electrons. So, they come across Aaron, the cell guy, and they hit him hard, stealing electrons from him.
As you can see, after this attack, 2 things have happened. Freddie and his free radical friends are no longer free radicals, they gained the electrons they wanted. And Aaron, the cell guy, he is left severely damaged, and he may actually die.
So, how do antioxidants affect this drama? Well, Annie the Antioxidant is going to swoop in and give Freddie and his boys electrons. As she does this, it stabilizes the free radicals, and helps prevent Aaron from being attacked. Alright guys and girl, clear the stage for me.
Free Radicals can be some pretty bad dudes, however, there are some good ones. Lets bring back Bobby bacteria. He is somewhere in the body, picking on Aaron, the cell guy. So, our bodies, being the unbelievable organisms that they are, sometimes release good free radicals to take care of Bobby and any of his buddies.
Now that we have a general understanding of antioxidants and free radicals, lets look at some of the ways they enter the body. Free radicals can enter the body through sun exposure, cigarette smoke, pollution, pesticides, alcohol, food (especially fried food), water, and even from medicines we take. Now lets look at antioxidants.
We are going to start with glutathione. It has been called the master antioxidant. It is comprised of 3 amino acids, and has the ability to maximize the activity of all the other antioxidants. Glutathione is found in high quality whey protein, non-pasteurized milk, and raw, uncooked fruits and vegetables.
Vitamin E is a fat soluble antioxidant and is found in sunflower seeds, almonds, spinach and broccoli. Vitamin C is a water soluble antioxidant and it is found in oranges, strawberries, broccoli, and bell peppers. beta carotene is a powerful antioxidant and is found in carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, and cantaloupe melon.
One other note, Our bodies do manufacture some antioxidants on its own, but this production declines with age.
So, what can we do in the free radical antioxidant battle? Ultimately there are 2 things we can do to help our bodies. Number one is to limit your exposure to high free radical items, for instance eliminating or eating less fried foods. Number 2 is to make sure you are eating plenty of fruits and vegetables. You want to consume a wide variety, and organic if possible.
Bottom line time…
as you can see, the free radical antioxidant battle comes down to lifestyle choices and dietary intake. Alright then, you can leave comments and questions below, if you like this video hit the thumbs up, if you feel that I have just wasted a few minutes of your life, I apologize to you, and you can exact some instant revenge but pounding that thumbs down. Till next time, im out, see ya.
Other sources…
http://www.healthchecksystems.com/antioxid.htm
http://draxe.com/fighting-free-radical-damage/
