There is scarcely a column on health and nutrition these days that doesn't mention vitamin Antioxidants. Yet no one has taken the trouble to explain what they do in words that an ordinary person can understand. Antioxidants have been around since life began. Vitamins like Vitamin E, C and Beta-Carotene are amongst the molecules that exhibit antioxidant properties. All atoms contain a nucleus and have electrons that circulate around the central body.
Atoms connect to each other to form molecules by sharing or exchanging their electrons.
The electrons they share are locked into a stable compound, difficult to break down. Those oxygen bubbles are like free radicals in the body. When they combine with tissue, they oxidize chemicals that form tissue, like oxygen oxidizes iron into rust. And just as rust does not possess the strength of iron, oxidized tissues lose strength when they are damaged by oxidation. Your body has built-in defenses against free radicals, but the effects of stress, environmental pollutants or age sometimes overwhelm these defenses.