Antioxidants, scavenge for free radicals, and consequently are a very special group of nutritional supplements. They very special because they play such a very important role in protecting the body from the formation of very dangerous substances referred to as free radicals. Free radicals are important in asmuch as they have a strong tendency to impair the proper functioning of the immune system which leads to infections and a hoard of degenerative diseases including heart disease and cancer. Free radicals are considered the unstable due to the existence of at least one unpaired electron. Electrons being negatively charged particles usually occur in pairs, and it is the pairing of the electrons that creates stability.
Unpaired electrons facilitates other atoms or molecules to bond with it in a chemical reaction.
It is the ease in which they bond to other atoms and molecules that creates the potential danger. The danger exists due to the significant probability that overtime the ability and tendency to bond to other atoms can actually create a new substance, which can cause great harm to the body. Even though free radicals tend to exist for a very short period of time in Microseconds, even in this short period of time they can do their damage. Due to biochemical processes occurring in the body, it is normal for free radicals to be present in the body at all times. A normal healthy immune system is normally able to control the existence of free radicals and minimize their potential damage.