Antioxidants and Free Radicals
EducationAntioxidants and Free Radicals
Free radicals are harmful to the human body. They can cause serious health issues such as heart disease and cancer. This article will help you understand what causes free radicals and how you can prevent them from ruining your body cells.
How free radicals are formed
Free radicals form when weak bonds split. They try stealing an electron to gain their stability. Once a molecule is attacked and loses its electron, it finally becomes a free radical.
Naturally, the body can produce free radicals to kill of bacteria and viruses. However, other factors that can cause the formation of free radicals in the body include pollution, smoking, radiation and herbicides.
If the number of free radicals in the body is low, there is no need to worry because the body can deal with the free radical in its own way. But it can only cause damage to your health when the body contains excessive amounts of free radicals.
How to Get Rid of Free Radicals
Getting rid of free radicals is not an impossible task and can be done with just a small change to your diet intake. Consuming fruits and vegetables is a good medicine for treating free radicals fast. Apart from fruits and vegetables, you can consume a variety of different nutrients such as vitamins, antioxidants and Flavonoids. These nutrients can be found in many foods and you only need to add additional healthy foods to your plate to get a share of the nutrients they provide.
What are Antioxidants and where can you find them?
Antioxidants are molecules which can help protect your cells from damage caused by free radicals. Nevertheless, you can help eliminate free radicals by eating foods with plenty of antioxidants. The main vitamins which contain most of the antioxidants are vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin A (beta-carotene). Let us have a read to find out which foods contain these vitamins.
Foods with Vitamin C:
• Sweet red pepper
• Grapefruit
• Tomato
• Orange
• Strawberry
Symptoms of vitamin C Deficiency in Children:
• Impaired bone growth
• Weakness
• Slow healing of wounds
Symptoms of vitamin C Deficiency in Adults:
• Slow healing of wounds
• Limb and Joint pain
• Anaemia
• Weakness
• Bleeding gums
Foods with Vitamin E:
• Corn Flakes
• Almonds
• Sauce
• Pasta
• Spinach
• Pumpkin
• Sweet Red Pepper
• Vegetable sunflower oil
• Potato chips
• Fish
• Mango
Symptoms of Vitamin E Deficiency in Infants:
• Delayed growth and loss of weight
• Poor feeding habits
• Physical and mental problems
Symptoms of Vitamin E Deficiency in Children:
• Loss of senses such as vibration
• Muscle weakness
• Slow growth
Symptoms of Vitamin E Deficiency in Adults:
• Age spots
• Mild anaemia
• Abnormal body functions including the brain, muscle and liver
Foods with Vitamin A (beta-carotene):
• Liver
• Sweet potato
• Milk
• Yogurt
• Carrot
• Spinach
• Mozzarella cheese
• Mango
• Egg yolk
Symptoms of vitamin A Deficiency in Children:
• Eye blindness at night
• Dry skin
• Dry hair
• Broken fingernails
Symptoms of vitamin A Deficiency in Adults:
• Anaemia
• Eye blindness at night due to injury to the retina
• Dry skin
• Dry hair
How do Antioxidants work?
Studies have shown that antioxidants can prevent cancer, early aging and various diseases. Antioxidants donate one of their own electrons which stop free radicals from stealing further electrons in your body.
Conclusion
Overall, many of these vitamins are required to keep your body in one healthy condition against the free radicals. Consume plenty of fruit and vegetables a day to ensure you get the best protection.
For more reading, please read about the health benefits of honey, sleep and cherries, how to run faster, how to reduce hair loss, how to get pregnant, how to maintain weight, benefits of exercise, how to keep teeth healthy, ways to treat a cold, ways to treat cancer, health effects of smoking and foods that help boost concentration.
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