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What
Are Free Radicals?
Simply
described, free radicals are molecules with electrons that
are unpaired.
Molecules
are basic building blocks in nature, such as oxygen, fatty
acids, amino acids, glucose,
and DNA. Molecules are held
together by electrons. Stable molecules have electrons that
are in pairs, like a buddy system. But if a molecule has an
electron that does not have a partner, it becomes unstable
and reactive—a free radical. It will steal an electron
from a stable molecule.
Once the stable molecule loses an electron, it becomes another
free radical. This second free radical will steal an electron
from a third molecule, and a destructive cycle begins. Each
time a molecule loses an electron, it is damaged and will
damage another molecule.
UNSTABLE
MOLECULE
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