Free radicals are atoms, groups of atoms or molecules that contain at least one free electron in their outer orbits. Electrons are negatively charged particles that usually occur in pairs, forming chemically stable bonds. If an electron is free, another atom or molecule can easily bind to it and cause a specific chemical reaction.
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What are free radicals?
Due to its chemical instability, any free radical is easily bound to other compounds. It attacks the nearest molecule and takes away an electron, which in turn becomes a free radical. Once the process has begun, it can escalate into a difficult-to-master cascade and cause dramatic changes in the body, followed by numerous injuries. Free radicals are normally present in the body and each of them exists for only a small fraction of a second, but the damage they leave behind is irreversible. It is estimated that about 10,000 free radicals are produced daily in every cell of the body.
Factors leading to the generation of free radicals
There are many different factors that can lead to an excess of free radicals. Exposure to radiation – solar or X-ray, tobacco smoke, car gases and last but not least nutrition. A high-fat diet can increase the activity of free radicals, because the oxidation of fats is much easier than that of carbohydrates and proteins.
The presence of a dangerously high number of free radicals changes the way cells encode genetic material. The formation of mutated proteins damages the immune system and leads to the development of leukemia and other types of cancer. Over time, the body begins to produce more and more free radicals, which is the basis of one of the theories of aging as a process at the molecular level.
Damage caused by free radicals
Free radicals can bind without restriction to many vital molecules in the human body, including DNA. They break up molecules, can “break off” pieces from the molecule, destroy information in different parts of the cell, play a role in a number of mutations and disrupt the functions of mitochondria (the energy organelles of each cell).
These processes are very dangerous because:
- Oxidized cholesterol penetrates the walls of the arteries more easily and hardens them.
- Oxidized DNA can cause gene mutations or cancer.
- The process of oxidation in the cornea of the eye leads to cataracts.
- Oxidized cell membranes and fats cause premature wrinkling and aging of the skin.
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It is estimated that 40% of sperm damage is due to free radicals.
In the mid-1950s, Dr. Denham Harman of the University of Nebraska first argued that free radicals were an important, if not the main, cause of aging at the cellular level. Another reasonable question arises: if free radicals are so dangerous, why does the body produce them? They normally fit into the overall metabolic balance of the cells. In some cases, they even play an important role. For example, white blood cells use them to bind and kill disease-causing bacteria and viruses that enter the body.
In addition, the body has the ability to protect itself from free radicals with the help of enzymes that neutralize and neutralize free radicals. In essence, these enzymes are the various antioxidants that bind to highly reactive agents and neutralize them before attacking the free molecule. The “strategy of action” of antioxidants is their role as a target instead of becoming their own cellular structures.
Free radicals and sports
Free radicals are unstable molecules that can damage muscle tissue. Oxygen consumption levels affect the degree of damage, also known as oxidative stress, and prolonged exercise increases the generation of free radicals. The harder you train and the more oxygen you take in, the greater the risk of oxidative stress.
This is one of the causes of pain and discomfort after sports. Free radicals damage the membranes of muscle cells by attacking structural lipids – phospholipids. The attack depletes cell membranes and affects a number of related enzymes. The interaction of free radicals with phospholipids also releases toxic substances that damage other enzymes. Prolonged exercise causes elevated levels of free radicals and the products of their reactions in the muscles and throughout the body. Fortunately, antioxidants are a powerful defense against these molecular “invaders.”
Antioxidants
Antioxidants are protective substances that help neutralize the harmful effects of oxidative reactions inside cells. The main antioxidants of food origin are vitamins A, C, E and beta-carotene, plus the minerals selenium, zinc, copper and manganese. They counteract harmful free radicals alone or in the composition of antioxidant enzymes. The action can be joint and interconnected – for example, vitamin E, which has neutralized a free radical, is restored by a chemical reaction with vitamin C.
If we keep antioxidant levels high enough, most free radicals can be neutralized before they do any harm to the body. This means that we must take with our food the necessary amounts of vitamin C, E and beta-carotene, as well as the trace elements selenium, zinc, copper and manganese. A large-scale study found that people who ate the most antioxidants in their diet were least at risk for coronary heart disease and cancer.
As a result of this study, the following prophylactic doses of antioxidants were determined:
- Vitamin C: 100-250 mg per day
- Vitamin E: 30-80 mg per day
- Beta-carotene: 15 mg per day.
Smokers and diabetics should double these amounts. When the body is in a normal state, it only controls the content of free radicals. The normal cell itself produces free radicals and antioxidants simultaneously, and this process is controlled and controlled by information in the DNA. In other words, the task of each person in this direction is to prevent free radical damage long before it becomes a fact for the body.
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