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Saturday, April 18, 2009

What Are Free Radicals?

By Dr. Lorna Mistranski

The human body is comprised of various kinds of cells and by looking at the body from this perspective is the best way to comprehend what free radicals are.

Various types of molecules comprise cells and the molecules consist of at least one or more atoms being held together by a chemical bond.

An atom is made up of a nucleus, proton, electrons, and neutrons and where the amount of protons (particles that are positively charged) in the nucleus is what determines how many electrons (particles with a negative charge) will surround the atom.

The primary role of electrons is for chemical reactions that occur inside the atom and the substance that holds the atoms together to form molecules. Electrons revolve around the atom in one or more shells

When two electrons fill the innermost layer it is considered full. Once the second shell is full, the process stats all over again.

The most important structural characteristic of an atom for determining its chemical behavior is the number of electrons in its outer shell.

A substance that has a full outer shell tends not to enter in chemical reactions. Ultimately, atoms seek to reach a state of maximum stability, an atom will try to fill its outer shell by:

Gaining or losing electrons to either fill or empty its outer shell

Attaching to other atoms in a attempt to share electrons to have a complete outer shell

Atoms very frequently finish this outer shell by sharing electrons with other atoms. This allows the conditions to be satisfied for what is needed to the atom to sustain maximum stability of the molecule.

Most of the time, these bonds do not tear apart in a way that leaves an atom with an odd, unpaired electron. When this does occur however, free radicals are formed; they are very unstable and react swiftly with other compounds in attempt to gain the needed electrons for stability.

Free radicals like to attack by locating the closest cell that has maximum stability and begins to steal electrons. Eventually these attacked molecules become free radicals themselves. The process will continue until eventually cellular damage occurs.

Common times when free radicals occur are during metabolism as well as when the body is fighting off bacteria or viruses. Pollution, cigarette smoke, radiation, and pesticides are other times when free radicals can occur.

Most of the time the body is able to fight off free radicals, but if antioxidants are unavailable or if there are too many free radicals, cellular damage can occur. As you get older free radical damage gets more progressive. - 17268

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