Still, organizations such as the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society continue to encourage people to eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains and nuts that contain a variety of antioxidants. And some experts maintain that there may still be a role for antioxidant supplements, which allow people to attain higher levels for these vitamins than could be derived from food, in the prevention or treatment of certain conditions. Below, antioxidant researcher Norman Krinsky, PhD, emeritus professor of biochemistry at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, shares some of his knowledge of these complex compounds.
What is an antioxidant?
An antioxidant is usually a small molecule that is capable of interfering with various free radicals and oxidative processes, thereby protecting the body. A free radical is a molecule that has what is known as an unpaired electron, so it's looking for something to react with. It can therefore disrupt normal chemical reactions in the body as it attacks other molecules. We make radicals normally in our body. I think the best example is when we have a bacterial infection, our white blood cells are mobilized to go after bacteria, and they kill bacteria by a process in which the white blood cells generate free radicals. So free radicals can be beneficial to the body, but if they are produced in excess, then they can be harmful.
Free radicals are generated during oxidation process. Oxidation goes on all the time. This is not a bad thing. In fact, oxidation is absolutely essential for life. We derive energy by oxidizing our food. So this is very important, but it's those cases where oxidation gets out of control that may in fact be harmful.
