Antioxidants protect our health, but you don’t have to splash out on expensive supplements as there’s a plentiful supply – and powerful ones at that – hiding in a fruit and veg shop near you.
Unstable molecules called free radicals are hell-bent on wreaking havoc in your body, causing damage to cells, proteins and DNA. Think of them as the terrifying White Walkers from the hit HBO series Game of Thrones – scary, living-dead beings whose mission is simply to destroy.
The destructive capability of free radicals lies in the fact that these oxygen-containing molecules carry a single electron; because electrons much prefer to travel in pairs, they try to snatch a partner electron from other molecules. They’re not fussy – one from a cell wall will do, even though it may cause that cell to die and taking one from your DNA may cause a mutation that leads to cancer. They can also make LDL – the ‘bad’ cholesterol – more likely to get trapped in an artery wall, which is definitely bad news. Free radicals can leave a trail of destruction if let to run riot.
They are produced naturally just by breathing, moving and when your body converts food into energy. But they are also generated in much higher numbers by alcohol consumption, cigarette smoke, pollution, pesticides, ultraviolet light, stress, lack of sleep and fried foods – especially meat.