Associated with human disease, free radicals are the natural by products of chemical processes, such as metabolism. Yet, free radicals are essential to the body’s ability to turn air and food into chemical energy. Crucial to the immune system, free radicals attack foreign invaders.
The danger of free radical activity occurs when they provoke a chain reaction response. The first free radical pulls an electron from a molecule, which destabilizes the molecule and turns it into a free radical. A domino effect is set in motion that can eventually disrupt and damage the whole cell.
This free radical activity can alter what enters and exits the cell. The damaged molecules may mutate, grow tumors, even damage the DNA code.
