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What are Free Radicals and What Do They Have to Do with Aging?

By: Brian Z. Barrett

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Free radicals are any kind of atom with at least one unpaired electron in its outer shell. Atoms bonding together make up a molecule, and the process of bonding is accomplished by the sharing of electrons. Each atom must have a pair of electrons to become stable. The electrons that are paired must be opposites in that one must spin up and the other down.

If there is not two, then the bond is broken and the atom will seek out another electron to become stable, ?stealing? it from another molecule. This process then causes that other molecule to lose an electron and thus become unstable itself. While most molecules in the body are stable, sometimes the bond is weak and breaks. This can be due to oxidation, radiation and various other causes. The molecule then becomes a free radical and is unstable and highly energetic in seeking out another electron to bond with.

This process causes damage to the molecules and cells of the body. It is only when the free radical bonds with another free radical that they both become stable. If the free radical steals an electron from a stable molecule, the latter?s vigor is destroyed and it becomes unstable. But worse, it breaks up into two unstable free radicals or molecules, that then go looking for more electrons and the process is accelerated over and over.

The damage occurs because when a molecule becomes unstable, it floats around looking for another electron to pair with instead of staying where it is supposed to be. Thus if it was a part of say, a cell wall, that wall will be damaged as the molecule will now separate from the rest of the wall in its search for another electron to pair with. If a cell sustains enough damage, it eventually dies. Over time, this cell damage will cause aging and other problems in an organism.

While it might seem that a bit of cell damage is - or should be - negligible, the most likely part of to be attacked by free radicals is the DNA in the mitochondria. This is an important part of a cell because it produces energy. While damage to the DNA in the cell itself can be fixed automatically, there is also a great deal of DNA in the mitochondria, and this cannot be repaired. When enough damage has occurred in the mitochondria, it shuts down and the cell dies.

If free radicals in the body bump into such things as toxic metals, their chain reaction is greatly increased. The toxicity of such things as lead, pesticides, cadmium, alcohol and cigarette smoke may even be caused by their ability to start this reaction of free radicals. If this is all starting to make you feel depressed, cheer up because nature has provided an answer in anti-oxidants.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

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