The Free Radicals...

When he was a postdoctoral researcher at Berkeley, Dr. Denham Harman, studied the effects of radiation on human biology. He proposed that free radicals - which is a by-product of oxidation in the human biology - played a significant part in aging. Here are some of my favourite points on free radicals:

• On stroke: The damage brought about by stroke does not only occur when the brain is deprived of oxygen and blood but after that - when the flow resumes. Much of the damage occurs at this point [i.e. reperfusion injury]. A surge of superoxide free radicals are introduced causing permanent brain damage due to the free radicals' attacks on nearby tissues.
  
  
• Disease of the heart actually begins years before any effects are felt. It happens when LDL (low-density lipoproteins) or bad cholesterol are oxidised. In due time, the arteries become clogged with plague. This can lead to a sudden loss of blood and oxygen to the heart - a heart attack. As in the description on stroke above, much damage is inflicted when the blood and oxygen flow get gets restored.
  
  
• On inflammation: This thing we often call inflammation, is caused by an 'overdose' of free radicals in a particular body area.

• In connection to inflammation, arthritis, 'produce either inflammation of connective tissue [the joints and tendons] or degeneration of the articular cartilage.' The inflammation causes blood flow to be cut off and when it is restored, a surge of free radicals are introduced as in a stroke. This causes further inflammation.
  
  
• Free radicals can actually be beneficial to the body. Cancer drugs, many of them, are engineered to produce free radicals which then kill the cancer cells.
  
  
• Nitric oxide and super oxide are free radicals. These are produced in quite significant amounts by immune cells and are used to poison viruses and bacteria.
  
  
• In the same light, some health professionals advise against wearing tight clothing for a similar reason. Blood and oxygen flow is cut off to a specific area of the body and when the clothing is taken off and the flow is restored, a similar process can happen as in a stroke or heart attack.
  
  
• Quite clearly, the main thing is to strike a balance between antioxidants and free-radicals. Most of the time, and for many of us, that means maintaining the 'antioxidant advantage' given our sedentary or less-than-ideal lifestyles, habits, diet and environment.