What Are Antioxidants?
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Photo by Suzy Hazelwood
By: Mark Sisson
You’ve undoubtedly heard that you should consume certain foods like berries and wine because they contain antioxidants (as if you needed a reason). Maybe you’ve been persuaded to grab a bottle of pricy supplements off the shelf because of their big antioxidant claims. But what are antioxidants, and what do antioxidants actually do?
As long as you’re a living, breathing person moving through the world, your cells are fighting a constant battle against free radical damage. Free radicals are molecules like reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) that cause oxidation, DNA damage, protein modification, and, worst case scenario, cell death. And they’re impossible to avoid. Free radicals are normal byproducts of cellular metabolism and exercise. You also accumulate free radicals from exposure to radiation, smoke, and everyday environmental pollutants.
If your body didn’t have a way to deal with these marauders, you’d be in a world of trouble. Luckily, though, nature has an answer: antioxidants.
What Do Antioxidants Do?
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