Cells are the building blocks of life. If I will look at my right hand while writing this post, how many cells are in my little finger, my whole hand and my whole sexy body? Do you have a clue? Scientists have estimated a body to have trillions of cells, imagine that!
Now, what is the count difference between my petite body and incredible hulk?
Don't get overwhelmed as not all free radicals are harmful. For the sake of this post, we will talk about the bad ones only.
The DOMINO effect
Now, a free radical to be stable will need another. Come what may.
If a free radical, one way or another, is ever present in most of our cells, this unpaired electron will find a way to attach itself to another electron. May it be from another free radical floating around or from another neighbouring cell. It will be good if it chooses wisely and get another like itself, paired and be merry.
But what if it chooses a healthy cell? And another? A thousand to billions? To a trillion? Here is where the problem lies, where these occurrences can damage our normal and healthy cells. Quietly and internally.
What about oxidation?
Remember those cells who have lost their unpaired electrons? They are still there, they are our ever present cells, until they are oxidised.
My research keeps showing me an apple and a metal iron as examples. So let's chose the apple.
An apple when newly sliced looks juicy, crunchy and have that normal fresh colour that invites you to have a bite. True? How about leaving it out in the open for an hour or a day? Will it still look appealing to eat? Upon slicing it, the process of oxidation also starts, till you see a recognisable discolouration after some time. It gets brownish right? I swear i've eaten an apple with some discolouration in it. But leave it a while longer and the consistency changes.
Will you still eat an aged apple? That's what happens in an oxidised cell. I said gazillions, remember?
Is it possible that this is happening very second of everyday?
Disclaimer: image from joeyhawks.weebly.com
As free radicals are linked to numerous health problems, are normally present and naturally occurring in our body, what can we do to even consider preventing its' growth and effects?
https://steemit.com/health/@immarojas/free-radicals-and-antioxidants-part-1
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