Free radicals, which are the end-products of oxidation, are not absorbed by the body and they damage cells, proteins and DNA. That molecule then takes an electron from another molecule, destabilizing it and turning it into a free radical. Oxidative stress occurs when there are too many free radicals and too much cellular damage. But nature has provided an answer to free radicals: Antioxidants. Antioxidants are able to give an electron to a free radical without becoming destabilized themselves, thus stopping the free radical chain reaction.

Source: The Nation November 28, 2020 01:07 UTC