Buzz Words of The Day: Free Radicals & Antioxidants

What are these free radicals – military extremists roaming around us freely? It seems the media has gotten a hold of this term and is using it everywhere...something especially scary when we don’t know what it means and people are telling us these free radicals are causing us to age. So what are they and how do they work?

Let me break it down in simple terms: Oxygen is essential to life, but it can be our worst enemy. It starts a process in your body called oxidation, which is the formation of free radicals. The oxidation of metal is a good example. Iron gets old and rusty, aluminum is bleached an ugly white and copper turns an "aged" green. Something similar happens when your body is exposed to air, light and poor nutrition. Free radical oxidation damage is the primary cause of aging, cancer, and heart disease (rust and corrosion). It's as harmful and destructive to your body and brain as corrosion is to your car.

Free radicals are also found in the environment. Environmental sources of free radicals include exposure to ionizing radiation (from industry, sun exposure, cosmic rays, and medical X-rays), ozone and nitrous oxide (primarily from automobile exhaust), heavy metals (such as mercury, cadmium, and lead), cigarette smoke (both active and passive), alcohol, unsaturated fat, and other chemicals and compounds from food, water, and air.



Antioxidants – Here to Save the Day!
Antioxidants are substances found in plants that soak up free radicals like sponges. The function of antioxidants is to destroy harmful free radicals, counteracting the damaging of tissues and in effect, treating aging or causing it to slow down.
Although antioxidants cannot completely rid our bodies of free radicals, they can however work to delay or minimize the damage caused. Antioxidants block the process of oxidation by neutralizing free radicals. By neutralizing, they themselves become oxidized. For this reason, our bodies are always in need of a steady source of antioxidants.
Antioxidants are plentiful in more common vitamins such as retinol or Vitamin A, ascorbic acid or Vitamin C, tocopherol or Vitamin E, and selenium. They can be nutrients (vitamins and minerals) as well as enzymes (proteins in your body that assist in chemical reactions). Research now confirms a balanced diet rich in whole grain cereals, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables provides essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients that reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.


Up the Anti in Your Skin Care Routine!
We’re told almost daily to eat our antioxidants…if not that little voice in your head sounding familiarly like your mother, it’s the television asking if you’ve had your V8 today. Should you wear them too? Absolutely! Topical antioxidants block free radicals in the environment (like sunlight and air pollution) and keep them from penetrating deeper into the skin. The mad scientists in the best beauty labs figured out how to shrink antioxidant molecules so they can enter through pores (which is why vitamin C and Green Tea creams will work but wearing papaya slices or slabs of beef on your face won't).

Start using these bad boys to your advantage and you can starting taking the years off your skin!