Links & Resources

›› Free radicals and Glycosylation
›› Unhealthy Diet and Lifestyle
›› Environmental Pollution and Stress

Glucose, under physiological conditions can produce oxidants which possess reactivity similar to the hydroxyl free radical. These oxidants hydroxylate benzoic acid, fragment protein and also induce peroxidation in phosphatidylcholine liposomes.

Role of free radicals in health

The rapidly increasing volume of evidence in the literature about the nature and role of free radicals and glycosylation has lead to an increasing awareness about their importance in health and disease. Free radicals have been implicated in many human conditions. Not all free radical reactions present in the body are harmful. There are some free radicals which are entirely natural. These free radicals are necessary for the correct functioning of metabolic processes. These natural free radicals are well controlled by the body's metabolism.

Free radicals can form naturally as some body’s molecules have weak bonds. These bonds can spontaneously break and also cause the molecule to become a free radical. For some unknown reasons, a small amount of normal oxidative reactions result in the formation of free radicals. Some other causes of damaging free radicals are ionising radiation. These can include light, or ultra violet, or other forms of radiation present in the atmosphere. For example, Mariner’s skin makes people look far older than they really are. This is due to excessive exposure to light and to UV radiation and the skin changes in thickness. The skin becomes dehydrated and the skin’s collagen becomes thickened and hardened. The wrinkles and dryness result in skin due to that. Radioactivity also causes free radicals to form. A great number of chemicals and more so, especially human-produced synthetic compounds can cause free radical formation.

Reduction of impact of radicals

The damaging effects of free radicals can be offset by antioxidants. These antioxidants work by either stopping free radical damage or by preventing oxidation from starting. There are three types of antioxidants which are crucial to human metabolism. These include antioxidant enzymes which are produced by the body and essential nutritional dietary compounds such as vitamin C and small plant-derived substances. What exactly are free radicals? Why do they damage the human body and how does vitamin E and the other antioxidant nutrients help to protect the body against free radical damage are some questions which come into mind.

How Free Radicals are formed

When weak bonds split, the free radicals are formed. Free radicals are not very stable and they react quickly with other compounds. These free radicals are always trying to capture the needed electron to gain stability. Normally, these free radicals attack the nearest stable molecule. When the "attacked" molecule loses its electron, it becomes a free radical. After that, a chain reaction begins. Once the process begins, it can cascade. This can finally result in the disruption of a living cell.

Some free radicals come up during metabolism normally. Sometimes the body's immune system's cells create them purposefully to neutralize some viruses and bacteria. However, some environmental factors like pollution, radiation, cigarette smoke and herbicides can also led to releasing of free radicals.

Next:>>Unhealthy Diet And LifeStyle