What Are Free Radicals (FRs)?

Free Radicals (FRs) are unstable and highly reactive molecules. They have a stray or unpaired electron and must 'snatch' an electron from other molecules to regain their stability. In doing so, they not only cause oxidative damage to the other molecules but also turn the latter into free radicals and start a series of chain reaction.

These newly created free radicals are more destructive than their predecessor. And like their predecessor, they must 'snatch' an electron from other molecules to regain their stability and in the process creating other more destructive free radicals.

By 'snatching' an electron from our important biological molecules such as lipids, enzymes, cell membrane, DNA etc., free radicals cause devastating damages to our cells, tissues and organs and contribute to many diseases ranging from heart attack, stroke and cancer to degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease and premature ageing.

Dr. Robert J. Willix Jr. reported that free radicals contribute to three main health problems : cancer, heart trouble and arthritis. According to him, controlling the amount of free radicals in the body can ameliorate 60 adverse health conditions.

However, when free radicals are properly balanced and checked by antioxidants in our body, their activity is useful and health giving. In fact, free radicals are released by WBCs to dissolve invading bacteria and viruses and our liver needs them for some of its detoxifying functions.

What Causes Free Radicals?

Tobacco Smoke Stress / Exercise Alcohol / Drug Charred Food / Sugar Inflammation Normal Cellular Metabolism

UV Ray / Cosmic Ray Air Pollutant Radiation / X-Ray Ozone Chemical / Heavy Metal etc.

Types Of Free Radical

Singlet Oxygen: It is the beginning of the cascade of free radicals. It targets tissue and cell components, causing structural changes. It stimulates the immune system and triggers the formation of elastase and collegenase, which are enzymes that destroy elastin and collagen.

Key consequence: Decreased blood supply to the skin.

Superoxide: This, the first inflammatory agent, also excites the immune system. Attacks cells by causing inflammation, which interrupts blood flow and other cellular functions. Destroys enzymes and cell membranes, leaving cell vulnerable.

Key consequence: Fine lines and wrinkles.

Lipid Peroxide: Continues cell destruction. Hardens and deforms lipids in cell walls and in intercellular fluids, leaving cell walls weak and unable to function.

Key consequence: Thick, rough skin, deep wrinkles, sagging skin.

Hydrogen Peroxide: Dangerous, because it easily crosses the cell membrane and enters the cell nucleus. Worse, it converts to the hydroxyl radical (see below) in the presence of iron.

Key consequence: Age spots, dryness, irritation, sensitivity, poor immune system response.

Hydroxyl Radical: The most dangerous of the oxygen free radicals. It may attack and mutate DNA. The generation of the hydroxyl radical in the presence of DNA correlates with its ability to cleave the DNA molecule. This is very bad stuff.

Key consequence: DNA mutation.

How Does Our Body Defense System Neutralize Free Radicals?

Our body uses a wide arsenal of antioxidants to neutralize free radicals. They include:

Enzyme Antioxidants Super Oxide Dismutase Catalase Glutathione Peroxidase Methione Reductase

Non Enzyme Antioxidants Glutathione Thiols Uric Acid

Vitamin, Mineral and Plant Antioxidants Vitamin A, C, E & B6 Zinc, Magnesium, Manganese Molybdenum & Selenium Beta Carotene

Free Radicals & Cardiovascular Problems

Free Radicals (FRs) oxidised LDLs and other fatty materials in the blood causing macrophage to devour them and become ‘foam cells' which clog artery walls, kill cells of the arterial wall and contribute to the development of atherosclerosis (building of fatty deposits inside arteries).

Dr. Daniel Steinberg of the University of California at San Diego, revealed in his experiment that macrophages engulf oxidized LDL 3-10 times faster than unoxidised LDL. .

Oxidized LDLs prevent the production of EDRF (endothelium-derived relaxation factor) which helps to relax muscles and dilate arteries – factors that could slow down the onset of arterial damage.

Oxidized LDLs also interfere with the production of Prostacyclin; a compound which helps to promote blood circulation by dilating arteries and preventing blood clots.

Plague formation is the first step in the ultimate deterioration of the cardiovascular system.

Free Radicals & Cancer

Excess FRs can severely damage DNA of cells which can lead to abnormal cells & cancer growth. In addition, FRs can convert certain chemicals into carcinogens.

Carcinogens & FRs in cigarette smoke have a direct link with the high incidence of lung cancer in smokers.

Thinning of the ozone layer allows greater amount of UV rays ( a known source of FRs ) to get through, resulting in greater risk of skin cancer. Also harmful FRs attack fats to trigger carcinogenesis (development of cancer cells).

Free Radicals & Ageing

FRs scour cells, tissues and organs of the entire body to steal matching electrons causing premature death of our otherwise healthy cells. They also cause oxidative damage to collagen, elastin and chromosomal material making tissues stiff and hard, membrane wrinkling and formation of age pigment spots.

According to Dr. Denham Hasman of the University of Nebraska College of Medicine “The Free Radical Theory” is one of the leading theories of how and why we age.

Free Radicals & Alzheimer's Disease (AD)

AD is a degenerative disease of the brain and nerves characterized by severe memory loss, senility, dementia & mental deterioration leading to death.

Studies at Central Middlesex Hospital in London (1992) indicate that an increase in free radical oxidative damage to nerve (neuron) cells is involved in the process of AD.

Free Radicals & Alcoholic Liver Diseases

Excessive alcohol consumption leads to overload of toxic chemicals & free radicals which can cause liver cirrhosis (progressive degeneration & death of liver cells), fatty liver (excessive fat deposits in the liver) and alcoholic hepatitis (inflammation of the liver with cells dying).

Free Radicals & Diabetes

Oxidative damages caused by FRs may contribute to the development of certain complications seen frequently in diabetics – cataract, retinopathy (eye problem), neuropathy (nerve problem) & nephropathy (kidney problem). In diabetics, decreased metabolism in cells of the eye's blood vessels is caused by a build up of FRs.

Free Radicals & Lung Diseases

Excessive free radicals produced in the lung due to high oxygen concentration, cigarette smoke and air pollute ants can lead to chronic  inflammation which can develop into emphysema (enlargement of air bubbles in the lungs) and/or respiratory distress syndrome.

Free Radicals & Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

R.A. is an autoimmune disease - one where the body mistakenly attacks itself.

R.A. begins as an inflammation in the synovial membrane which produces the synovial fluid to lubricate bone joints. Faulty lymphocytes (fighter cells) release free radicals which attack the joints damaging cartilage & bone and cause the synovial fluid to lose its viscosity leading to stiffness, pain, inflammation & swelling.

Scientist from Birmingham, UK (1988) found that FRs stimulate formation of immune complexes with rheumatoid factor antibodies - thus promoting and increasing tissue damage during rheumatoid inflammation.

What are Antioxidants ?

Antioxidants are any substances that prevent or slow down the oxidation process. Free radicals cause oxidation - and antioxidants prevent oxidation. Antioxidants work by donating an electron to a free radical so it becomes a stable oxygen molecule thus preventing free radicals from causing oxidative damages.

There are many different types of antioxidants such as enzymes, coenzymes, vitamins and sulfur containing compounds. Our body produces certain antioxidants to combat free radicals, but many of the necessary antioxidants must come from our diet.

What are Free Radicals (FRs) ?

There is a simple and complex answer to this question. On the simplest level - free radicals are basically bad for your health. They have been linked to various health problems.

Here is a little more scientific answer. Free radicals are unstable oxygen atoms. An atom contains a nucleus which is made up of protons and neutrons. Circling around the nucleus you will usually find pairs of electrons. Think of it this way - the nucleus is like the sun and the electrons are like planets. If all the electrons are in pairs it is a stable atom - and all is fine.

The problem comes when for some reason one of the electrons gets pulled away from the oxygen atom. When this happens you get an unstable oxygen atom - also know as a free radical.

What Is So Dangerous About Free Radicals ?

Unstable free radicals do everything they can to get another electron and become stable again. The problem is that they will rip away an electron from a normal cell in the body. This can cause serious damage to the the normal cell. Basically, what is happening is that your body is rusting! This sounds pretty disgusting - but scientifically it is the same process. Free radicals can cause oxidation inside the body.

Here are just some of the diseases linked to excess free radicals:

• Aging
• Various Cancers
• Coronary Heart Disease
• Arthritis
• Autoimmune Disease
• Alzheimer's
• Parkinson's Disease
• Cataracts

What Causes Free Radicals To Form In Our Body ?

To a certain extent - free radicals are just a part of being alive. It is estimated that every single cell in our body gets attacked by a free radical about 10,000 times a day! As we get older the number of free radicals increases. In our lifetime we will probably produce over 17 tons of free radicals.

There are certain activities that cause the body to produce more free radicals. Here is the really bad news - exercise and bodybuilding can greatly increase free radicals! It sounds crazy - working out is supposed to make you more fit. The problem is that any process that produces stress and increases the intake of oxygen can lead to an increase in free radicals. As you know - working out then has two strikes against it - it is stressful and greatly increase our oxygen intake.

Other factors that lead to high levels of free radicals are: smoking tobacco, direct sunlight, smog and pollution and foods high in fats and sugar.

An excerpt from the medical textbook Contemporary Ayurveda
by H. Sharma, M.D., and C. Clark, M.D.
(Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, 1998; ISBN: 0 443 05594 7)
ghostwritten by Bernard D. Sherman .

Cancers, strokes, and cataracts seem as different from one another as any diseases could be. It's hard to imagine them sharing a single cause. Yet a growing body of research suggests that they do. The causal chain behind these and many other diseases, perhaps behind aging itself, includes a common link: a class of molecules known as free radicals.

Some researchers believe that the discovery of the effects of free radicals may be as big an advance as Pasteur's insights into infectious disease. In a sense, free radicals take medical theory one level deeper. While the mechanisms of infectious disease involve microorganisms and cells, free radicals involve something more fundamental: the subatomic realm of electrons.

Free radicals are molecules, usually of oxygen, that have lost an electron. That loss makes them unstable (in chemical terms, reactive ). They begin to covet their neighboring molecules' electrons. In stealing an electron, they operate as terrorists in the body. They can attack DNA, leading to dysfunction, mutation, and cancer. They can attack enzymes and proteins, disrupting normal cell activities, or cell membranes, producing a chain reaction of destruction. Such membrane damage in the cells that line our blood vessels can lead to hardening and thickening of the arteries and eventually to heart attacks and strokes. Free-radical attacks on collagen can cause cross-linking of protein molecules, resulting in stiffness in the tissue.

The most dangerous free radicals are the small, mobile, and highly reactive oxy radicals. Other dangerous atomic and molecular varieties of oxygen are known as reactive oxygen species (ROS). While ROS are not technically free radicals, they are no less unstable and are highly reactive with the molecules around them.

Biomedical research shows increasingly that oxidative stress - the constant attack by oxy radicals and ROS - contributes to both the initiation and the promotion of many major diseases. Oxidative attacks help cause the disease in the first place, then add impetus to its spread in the body. In the case of heart disease, oxidative stress can cause major damage even after treatment has been applied.

The implications of free radicals and ROS go further. It now seems that the 'clinical presentation' of many diseases - how the illness appears when a patient arrives at a clinic - may in part reflect not different causal mechanisms, but variations in the protection provided by the body's antioxidant (anti-oxidative stress) defenses. In a hurricane, the weakest section of a house collapses first, whether it is a window, a door, or a roof. Under oxidative stress, the weakest link in the body may be the first to give way.

A long and disturbing list of diseases is now linked to oxy radicals and ROS ( see below ). The onslaught of free radicals and ROS also contributes to many of the less serious but still troubling symptoms of aging, such as wrinkled skin, gray hair, balding, and bodily stiffness. Oxy radicals have also been linked to such minor but bothersome conditions as dandruff and hangovers. One of the most experienced free-radical researchers, the Japanese biochemist Yukie Niwa, estimates that at least 85% of chronic and degenerative diseases result from oxidative damage (Niwa & Hansen, 1989, p. 9).

Diseases Linked To Oxy Radicals & Reactive Oxygen Species

• Cancer
• Arteriosclerosis, Artherosclerosis
• Heart Disease
• Cerebrovascular Disease
• Stroke
• Emphysema (Cross et al 1987)
• Diabetes Mellitus (Sato et al 1979)
• Rheumatoid Arthritis (Cross et al 1987, Greenwald & Moy 1979, 1980, Halliwell 1981, 1989, Del Maestro et al 1982, Fligiel et al 1984)
• Osteoporosis (Hooper 1989, Stringer et al 1989)
• Ulcers
• Sunburn
• Cataracts (Niwa & Hansen 1989, Yagi 1977)
• Crohn's Disease (Niwa & Hansen 1989)
• Behcet's Disease
• Aging
• Senility

Benefits Of Free Radicals

The many chemical reactions that occur in the body inevitably produce free radicals. The body can, however, usually keep these free radicals under control. Moreover, despite the long list of problems they cause, free radicals are not all bad. They play an essential role in a healthy human body. The body tries to harness the destructive power of the most dangerous free radicals - the oxy radicals and ROS - for use in the immune system and in inflammatory reactions. Certain cells in these systems engulf bacteria or viruses, take up oxygen molecules from the bloodstream, remove an electron to create a flood of oxy radicals and ROS, and bombard the invader with the resulting toxic shower. This aggressive use of toxic oxygen species is remarkably effective in protecting the body against infectious organisms.

Unfortunately, the process may go out of control, creating a chain reaction that leads to over-production of free radicals. These reactions are no less damaging to the body than other formations of free radicals.

The Causes Of Free Radicals

Production of free radicals in the body is continuous and inescapable. The basic causes include the following:

The immune system - As we have just seen, immune system cells deliberately create oxy radicals and ROS as weapons.

Energy production - The energy-producing process in every cell generates oxy radicals and ROS as toxic waste, continuously and abundantly. Oxygen is used to burn glucose molecules that act as the body's fuel. In this energy-freeing operation, oxy radicals are thrown off as destructive by-products. Given the insatiable hunger of oxygen, there is no way to have it suffusing the body's energy-producing processes without the constant creation of oxy radicals and ROS. The cell includes a number of metabolic processes, each of which can produce different free radicals. Thus, even a single cell can produce many different kinds of free radicals.

Stress - The pressures common in industrial societies can trigger the body's stress response. In turn, the stress response creates free radicals in abundance. The stress response races the body's energy-creating apparatus, increasing the number of free radicals as a toxic by-product. Moreover, the hormones that mediate the stress reaction in the body - cortisol and catecholamines - will themselves degenerate into particularly destructive free radicals. Researchers now know one way in which stress may cause disease. A stressful life mass-produces free radicals.

Pollution and other external substances - The pollutants produced by modern technologies often generate free radicals in the body. The food most of us buy contains farm chemicals, including fertilizers and pesticides, that produce free radicals when we ingest them. Prescription drugs often have the same effect; their harmful side-effects may be caused by the free radicals they generate. Processed foods frequently contain high levels of lipid peroxides, which produce free radicals that damage the cardiovascular system. Cigarette smoke generates high free-radical concentrations; much of the lung damage associated with smoking is caused by free radicals. Air pollution has similar effects. Alcohol is a potent generator of free radicals (although red wine contains antioxidants that counteract this effect). In addition, free radicals can result from all types of electromagnetic radiation-including sun-light. Exposure to sunlight generates free radicals that age the skin, causing roughness and wrinkles. If the exposure is prolonged, skin cancer may result. ( See below ).

Some Common External Causes Of Free Radicals

Toxins Carbon Tetrachloride Paraquat Benzo(a)pyrene Aniline Dyes Toluene

Drugs Adriamycin Bleomycin Mitomycin C Nitrofurantoin Chlorpromazine

Air Pollution (Primary Sources) Carbon Monoxide Nitric Oxide Aldehydes Alkyl Nitrates

Radiation Sunlight

Ingested Substances Alcohol Smoked & Barbecued Food Peroxidized Fats in Meat & Cheese Deepfried Foods