Free Radicals and Antioxidants
February 8, 2006 by Christina Jones
Filed under Diet, Skin Care, Wellness
You have probably heard a lot of talk over the last few years about free radicals and antioxidants, but do you know what they are, and what in the world they might have to do with beauty? Free radicals are very basically incomplete oxygen molecules that are created from the process of making energy from the foods you eat. These molecules have lost an electron, and are always in the process of trying to regain that missing electron by stealing it from another molecule, which in turn creates more free radicals, which will impede cell function and eventually destroy your body’s cells. It is a catch-22 process that possibly leaves your skin damaged (wrinkled) as well as causes a myriad of other problems in the body. So what do you do about it?
There is a lot of research going in to this subject currently, and the results are not yet conclusive. Along with the food you eat, free radicals can be formed from the sun, air pollution, and even rancid oils – basically all of that stuff that is supposed to be bad for you. A diet rich in vitamins and minerals will provide your body with plenty of antioxidants, which provide those extra electrons to the oxygen molecules who are seeking them (and destroying other cells in the process). In theory, anyway. Eating a well rounded diet- with a variety of fruits and veggies that contain natural antioxidants- of course, is your best bet to combat free radicals. If that isn’t exactly what you do, consider supplementing your diet with an antioxidant supplemental formula. This is what I take on a daily basis: Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Flax Seed Oil, Mixed Carotenes and Selenium.
For more information about free radicals and antioxidants, Paula Begoin has an excellent article on free radicals here and Dr. Weil talks about them here and here, and I did a bit more research about antioxidants here.
Photo credit (and more information about freeradicals and antioxidants: SiberianTigerNaturals.com
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[...] CoQ10 is a coenzyme, naturally occuring in your body that is available as a supplement and as an ingredient in many skin care products. It is also an antioxidant, which we all know about now, right? Coenzyme Q10 is normally produced readily in the body, but depletes very predictably as we age, and possibly depletes with exposure to the sun as well. CoQ10 is found in beef, spinach, sardines, albacore tuna, and peanuts, but is rendered inactive with high cooking heat. Studies have shown that CoQ 10 indeed can be used topically with benefit. From smartskincare.com: In most people over thirty, levels of CoQ10 in the skin are below optimum, resulting in lesser ability to produce collagen, elastin and other important skin molecules. Besides, CoQ10-depleted skin may be more prone to the damage by free radicals, which are particularly abundant in the skin since it is exposed to the elements. Thus, CoQ10 may boost skin repair and regeneration and reduce free radical damage. Furthermore, CoQ10 is a small molecule that can relatively easily penetrate into skin cells. [...]
[...] As we all know (and those of us who need to listen are tired of hearing about it), smoking is bad. It is bad for you and your family, it is bad for your wallet and it is also bad for your skin. Smoking is one of the top ways that those dreadful free radicals are created that do their dirty work breaking down cells and making our faces wrinkley. And wrinkles are the not-so-bad stuff that is going on in your body because of smoking. [...]
[...] learning about antioxidants and free radicals here at eBeautyDaily – aging is a process that we know a limited amount of factual informatin about, but these two items [...]
[...] diseases) and – wait for it – a skin cream, which will help with sun damaged skin and those free radicals that tear our face apart as we age. Well, the free radicals are tearing everything apart too, thats [...]
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