Free radicals and antioxidants
Antioxidants are substances capable of neutralizing free radicals and protecting the body from their negative action. The anticarcinogenic properties of many foods are linked precisely to their precious antioxidant content.
During the numerous metabolic processes a small amount of oxygen gives rise to chemically very reactive molecules due to the presence in the outermost orbital of one or more unpaired electrons. These molecules, called free radicals, are able to damage cell structures such as the plasma membrane and DNA. The negative action of free radicals affects the health of the whole organism:
- accelerating the processes of cellular aging
- depressing the immune system
- favoring the onset of numerous diseases and cancers
Our body is able to keep the activity of free radicals under control through special endogenous (self-synthesized) and exogenous (present in food) antioxidant substances.
The first category includes enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase and reduced glutathione.
Among the non-enzymatic substances with antioxidant properties we remember instead Vitamin E, Vitamin C, carotenoids, polyphenols and anthocyanins.
If on the one hand many foods exert a "protective action against free radicals, on the other" incorrect eating habits can increase their activity (diet too rich in animal fats, excessive consumption of vegetable oils and fatty fish, excess iron, intolerances The most dangerous foods of all are those rich in lipids and in particular in polyunsaturated fatty acids (fish, vegetable oils, dried fruit). However, nature has been able to associate high amounts of vitamin E with these nutrients in order to neutralize, at least in part, the formation of free radicals. Precisely for this reason, a certain amount of vitamin E is artificially added to food supplements based on polyunsaturated fatty acids (we still recommend checking its presence before purchasing).
Exposure to atmospheric pollutants, ionizing or ultraviolet radiation, drug abuse, smoking and intense physical activity can also dangerously increase the synthesis of free radicals.
By closely observing the skin of a person who is frequently exposed to the sun without protection, we can realize the "harmful effect of these" waste products. "Doing the same thing with a sportsman we would probably be struck by his youthful appearance. on the other hand, physical activity increases the synthesis of free radicals (as occurs in the case of prolonged exposure to sunlight), on the other, training makes the antioxidant systems of enzymatic origin much more effective.
Once again the combination of proper nutrition and physical activity is confirmed as the best weapon to fight aging and diseases related to well-being.
