ANTIOXIDANTS

Oxidation is the reaction of the molecules of which our cells are made with oxygen, from which free radicals are formed, waste products of metabolic reactions. Free radicals, in turn, attack our cells, giving rise to a chain reaction that causes damage to biomolecules and the aging of cells and tissues. A healthy organism is able to defend itself from the presence of free radicals thanks to antioxidant substances. Therefore, antioxidant is the adjective reserved for the molecule capable of preventing the oxidation of other molecules, neutralizing the action of free radicals, which are transformed into molecules that are less harmful and easier to eliminate.

What is the action of antioxidants? Antioxidants in our body function as a "defense system" protecting us from free radicals, and as a purification system by eliminating waste resulting from cellular metabolism. Antioxidants also help build and repair the body's structures. Every day our body produces billions and billions of free radicals, which are highly reactive species, and must be kept under control by antioxidants. If antioxidant defenses are insufficient, the system loses its balance and enters "oxidative stress". Without us realizing it, oxidative stress has a continuous negative effect on health, depressing the immune system, accelerating cellular aging, and in the most serious cases favoring the onset of diseases and tumors. Therefore, oxidation and free radicals cause the aging of cellular structures, also damaging structural biomolecules such as collagen and elastin. On our skin the damage can become visible, for example through the formation of wrinkles and loss of elasticity.