Antioxidants & Free Radicals

[Aline]

Antioxidants & Free Radicals

To help you better understand some of the articles posted below, it is important to know what antioxidants and free radicals mean.

Antioxidants are substances or nutrients in our foods which can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body.

When our body cells use oxygen, they naturally produce free radicals (by-products) which can cause damage.

Antioxidants act as "free radical scavengers" and, hence, prevent and repair damage done by these free radicals.

Health problems such as heart disease, macular degeneration, diabetes, cancer, etc., are all contributed by oxidative damage. Antioxidants may also enhance immune defense and, therefore, lower the risk of cancer and infection.