Everything you wanted to know about antioxidants

What are antioxidants, what are free radicals, and what do they have to do with each other and your health?

Antioxidants are chemicals that your body produces or that you ingest that have the ability to quench or neutralize free radicals. Antioxidants can take many forms, they can be vitamins, minerals, fatty acids or other chemical molecules.

Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that are the natural by-products of metabolism. Billions of free radicals are produced, for example, during exercise, when you're fighting off infection, when you think, when you are exposed to cigarette smoke or when you've been exposed to the sun's damaging ultraviolet rays. They are considered highly reactive because, unlike an old, hormonally challenged dowager, these free spirited molecules will get together with almost any willing molecule in the body, including molecules such as DNA, cholesterol, fats and proteins which by all standards of decency, really have no business hooking up with free radicals.

Green Tea is a source of antioxidants

This is where the situation gets a little sticky; you see not all cellular molecules are a good or healthy match for our randy free radicals. Although antioxidants and free radicals are a good pairing because they balance each other out, other molecules like DNA and cholesterol do not make a compatible mate. The roll in the hay free radicals have with cholesterol, for instance, ends up producing oxidized LDL cholesterol, which is what gives rise to arteriosclerosis, heart disease and strokes. These free radicals have the ability to damage your DNA and RNA as well and thereby interfere with the healthy functioning of your cells.

Free radicals by themselves are not wicked, in fact, they are essential for normal functioning of the cells. Free radical molecules are involved in most chemical reactions in the cells. It is only when they are produced in excessive quantities (due to stress for example) that they may overwhelm your body's antioxidants' ability to neutralize the excess that trouble can occur. As long as the naughty free radicals have antioxidant “mates” immediately available, they won’t get themselves into any inappropriate entanglements.

Antioxidant levels in the blood or urine are an indirect reflection of the damage these excess free radicals can generate in your body's cells. Low antioxidant levels have been linked to many age-related diseases. Reduction of free radicals through increased intake of antioxidants may be an important step in reducing the risk of age-related diseases, such as cancer and heart disease. Numerous scientific studies confirm this benefit of antioxidant supplementation. Based on your personal vitamin and antioxidant profile, it is possible to scientifically develop a supplement regimen that can optimally boost your body's ability to dispose of or neutralize excess free radicals and minimize your risks of developing these conditions.

About Dr. Darren Francis Clair:

Darren Francis Clair, M.D., has been active in the field of preventive health for the past 20 years. A graduate of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Princeton University, he is founder and current Medical Director of Vibrance Medical Group and Vibrance Services Co., LLC. Dr. Clair recently was a co-investigator on an FDA-approved study of the use of human Growth Hormone (hGH) for its anti-aging potential. A longstanding member of the American Association of Anti-Aging Physicians, he is known as a writer on health-related issues, including nutrition, fitness, hormonal balancing, proactive health, genomic testing and stem cell therapy. He has made professional appearances on multiple television shows and has served as an anti-aging consultant to several medical corporations.