Learn How To Protect Your Cells From Free Radical Damage

The human body is composed of nearly 100 trillion cells.
A cell is the basic structural component of life and is the foundation for all bodily functions.
It is responsible for metabolism, repair, reproduction and more.
The body acts like an efficient machine.
It takes in oxygen and food and is then able to fuel different activities.
In the process of burning fuel by-products called oxygen free radicals or free radicals for short are produced.
They are called free because they are missing a molecule which sends them off to pair with another molecule.
This sets off a chain reaction that creates millions of other free radicals in a matter of seconds.
And not just millions.
Some cells which include components in DNA, lipids and proteins are much more susceptible to damage from unpaired molecules and can produce 1.
75 quintillion every second.
These attacks can overwhelm the body's defense system in battling these scavengers which can leave the body open to disease.
We must protect the cells from free radical damage.
There are several factors that cause the formation of these unwanted substances.
Among them is air pollution - fumes from car exhaustion or breathing ozone.
Cigarette smoking can trigger up to 100 million of these from just one puff.
Barbecued and fried foods are another source of unpaired molecules due to the combination of high-temperature heated oil and oxygen.
Emotional stress is believed to play a large part in the creation of free radicals especially when one is under extreme pressure.
The use of pesticides and other contaminants also create these scavengers.
And did you know that running marathons.
competitive sports participation or any other intensive training can also trigger free radicals during workouts? We must learn how to protect healthy cells.
To accomplish this goal a wide range of antioxidants must come into play.
Simply put, an antioxidant is a substance that offsets the damage left from free radicals.
Antioxidants, therefore, are vital to keeping our cells healthy.
There are two sources of antioxidants available.
The body itself, given the proper mineral nutrition, creates several types of antioxidant enzymes on its own.
But this is often not enough to overcome the tremendous number of unpaired molecules in the system.
Supplementation is also needed.
This can be in the form of vitamin C which not only strengthens cell membranes but also protects the heart.
Olive oil is another very powerful antioxidant which, besides decreasing inflammation in the cells, has the side effect of reducing wrinkles in the skin.
Another source of antioxidants that protect our cells are tocopherols especially a-tocopherol (vitamin E).
Their job is to protect skin, eye, liver and other tissues that are sensitive to oxidation.
As technology advances it seems that instead of being able to protect the body from free radicals we are even more exposed to pollution, radiation and stress.
There must be a better way to protect our cells.