Free-radicals

Question: Which of the following molecules or ions are free radicals? Which of the following molecules or ions are free radicals (have an atom which does not have a noble gas electron configuration): N2O, NO, OCl-, SO2+, and H3O+?

Answer: Hi Cammy G, N2O - Nitrous Oxide - Stable Molecule NO - Nitric Oxide - Free Radical OCl- - Hypochlorite Ion - Anion (Not Free Radical as it has -ve charge) SO2+ - As stated, do you mean (SO)2+ or S(O2)+?? H3O+ - Hydronium Ion - Cation (Not Free Radical) Have fun!!

Question: What is DNA fragmentation & can it be caused by free radicals? What is DNA fragmentation & can it be caused by free radicals? Thanks!!

Answer: Yes. Free radicals (and this is usually going to be OH free radicals) chemically attack the phosphodiester bonds that hold the nucleotides of DNA together. This causes breaks in the DNA (fragmentation). If you have cancer and get radiation therapy, this is how they kill the cancer cells. They bombard you with radiation, which splits water molecules and releases the OH free radical. These in turn attack the DNA and kill the (cancer) cell.

Question: Do powdered drinks give out more free radicals? I read in a magazine instant coffee does not have the same effect as whole coffee beans that are freshly brewed because it does not have alot of antioxidants and instead is filled with free radicals. Is this the same for all powdered drinks like milk and chocolate?

Answer: "free" radicals come from cooked foods. thus it is not true that ALL powdered drinks have free radicals. instant coffee is instant because it has been brewed then dried thus there will be fewer antioxidants because it is not all natural than coffee beans. you should not fear drinking powdered drinks because of free radicals. there are more free radicals when you cook food than drinking or brewing.

Question: How are free radicals important in the formation of polyethylene?

Answer: Low density polyethylene (LDPE) is manufactured by polymerizing ethylene (H2C=CH2) at high temperatures, high pressures, and using free radical initiators. This results in a polymer which is highly branched and soft. HDPE (High density PE) is prepared using ethylene with transition metal catalysts that are not free radical in nature, which results in a linear, harder polymer.

Question: What exactly are free radicals? I understand free radicals cause aging and cancer. I'd like to know as much as I can about them so please tell me everything you know. I'd like to know what their chemical structure is, how they are introduced into the body, how they work, how antioxidants work to combat them, etc. There is pretty much no such thing as too much info on this question. 2) Also I heard that your body creates free radicals simply by producing the energy it needs. Is this true? So does this also mean that exercising produces free radicals?

Answer: Here's what I got from perusing onto some websites: Most people believe free radicals are generated primarily by excessive exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays, radiation, air pollution, cigarette smoke and various chemicals. While these factors add to your oxidative stress, most free radicals are formed right inside your body. We depend on oxygen to stay alive. Oxygen helps our cells produce ATP, the chemical form of energy that powers our bodies. This ATP is needed in extra quantities when we exercise. The longer and more intensive the exercise, the more oxygen is consumed. While oxygen is absolutely vital for energy production, it is also a potent free radical producer. Furthermore, exercisers often "stoke up" on carbohydrates - called carbohydrate loading - before intensive exercise. Doing so adds fuel to the body's biochemical furnace, but it also generates additional free radicals. Another major source of free radicals are infection and inflammation - problems which are amplified in people who exercise vigorously, particularly when they exercise outdoors. Exertion in extremely hot and cold weather and at high altitudes, where many professional athletes train, also increases free radical production. Free radical production during exercise can overwhelm the body's antioxidant defense systems. Unless neutralized, these free radicals multiply in a chemical chain reaction with effects reaching throughout the body. Free radicals may be a natural part of life, but their excessive production accelerates the aging process and the development of disease. If you exercise, which you should, it makes sense to take extra antioxidant nutrients to neutralize these unwanted free radicals. A number of studies have shown that antioxidant nutrients reduce muscle soreness after physical exertion and speed up recovery from hard workouts. Exercise and oxidative damage Endurance exercise can increase oxygen utilization from 10 to 20 times over the resting state. This greatly increases the generation of free radicals, prompting concern about enhanced damage to muscles and other tissues. The question that arises is, how effectively can athletes defend against the increased free radicals resulting from exercise? Do athletes need to take extra antioxidants? Because it is not possible to directly measure free radicals in the body, scientists have approached this question by measuring the by-products that result from free radical reactions. If the generation of free radicals exceeds the antioxidant defenses then one would expect to see more of these by-products. These measurements have been performed in athletes under a variety of conditions. Several interesting concepts have emerged from these types of experimental studies. Regular physical exercise enhances the antioxidant defense system and protects against exercise induced free radical damage. This is an important finding because it shows how smart the body is about adapting to the demands of exercise. These changes occur slowly over time and appear to parallel other adaptations to exercise. On the other hand, intense exercise in untrained individuals overwhelms defenses resulting in increased free radical damage. Thus, the "weekend warrior" who is predominantly sedentary during the week but engages in vigorous bouts of exercise during the weekend may be doing more harm than good. To this end there are many factors which may determine whether exercise induced free radical damage occurs, including degree of conditioning of the athlete, intensity of exercise, and diet. Recommendations Follow a balanced training program that emphasizes regular exercise and eat 5 servings of fruit or vegetables per day. This will ensure that you are developing your inherent antioxidant systems and that your diet is providing the necessary components. Weekend warriors should strongly consider a more balanced approach to exercise. Failing that, consider supplementation. For extremely demanding races (such as an ultradistance event), or when adapting to high altitude, consider taking a vitamin E supplement (100 to 200 IU, approximately 10 times the RDA) per day for several weeks up to and following the race. Look for upcoming FDA recommendations, but be wary of advertising and media hype. Do not oversupplement. ***** Basically, you shouldn't overexercise, especially if you're not trained. Olympic athletes are okay, because they train their bodies to do that. A normal person, however, should not train excessively with exercise unless their body is used to the excessive exercise. It's better to exercise for 30 minutes everyday, then for 5 hours, one day out of a week. Nobody really knows, 'cause scientists haven't been observing free radicals and their effects on cancer for long enough.

Question: What is the best method currently to combat the affects of free radicals on human living tissue? Do they maybe have a significant part in decay after death? If more oxygenation is important what method do you suggest to combat the ill effects?

Answer: To my knowledge, the only free radical combators out there are antioxidants, which can be found in just about any fruit or plant with color, and in herbal supplements. Anti-oxidants are basically electron deficient molecules that are stable and are able to "take a bullet" so to speak for the body, by absorbing that electron as oppose to the electron eating up our tissue. THat antioxidant is then filtered through the body and excreted. However logical this may seem their is still debate over the efficacy of antioxidants. in terms of best way to deal with free radicals is to avoid the accumulation if at all possible. No mater what you do you will not be able to stop the billion free radical reactions that are going on in your body every second... but you may be able to prevent 2 billion from happening by avoiding drugs and alcohol as well as high fat and protein diets. Even too much sugar can lead to high rate of oxidative stress (thus diabetes and associated cancers). as for combating oxidative stress, their are both endogenous and exogenous (natural and foreign) chemicals which may play a roll in protecting a cell that has been under severe oxidative stress. you may want to look into the Glutathione pathway for an example of this.

Question: What are free radicals and should I be concerned about them? Are they for real? I have heard about the Free Radical Theory of Aging, and want to know whether there is anything I can do about aging or should I just sit on the couch and relax???

Answer: Free radicals are molecules that have lost an electron and so they seek out stable molecules and steel one of their electrons making that molecule unstable. This can cause a chain reaction when this newly damaged molecule seeks out a new electron. These free radicals can cause damage to healthy cells if there isn't enough antioxidants to get rid of them. Antioxidants, such as vitamin C and E can help keep free radicals under control.

Question: How do antioxidants help prevent cellular oxidative damage caused by free radicals? What are three vitamins that also act as antioxidants?

Answer: Atoms are composed of a nucleus, neutrons, protons and electrons. Electrons are positioned in various shells that surround an atom. Each shell has a certain maximum number of electrons it can hold. The outer shell is the critical shell. Atoms that have full outer shells maintain their chemical properties and bond normally with adjacent atoms. However, atoms that do not have full outer shells will try to react chemically with adjacent atoms in an attempt to fill their outer shell. The incomplete outer shell will try to gain or release electrons to fill or empty their outer shell. or it will attempt to share their outer shell electrons by bonding together with adjacent atoms in order to complete their outer shell. Unfortunately, this changes the chemical properties of that atom and affect surrounding atoms and molecules. These outer shell deficient type of atoms in the human body are called free radicals. The human body has many different cells that are composed of molecules. Molecules are composed of one or more atoms joined by chemical bonds. Normal body functions can produce these outer shell deficient free radical molecules. Metabolism creates free radicals. And the immune system sometimes produces free radicals to neutralize bacteria and viruses. External factors such as air pollution, sun radiation, smoke and toxic herbicides can trigger free radicals. Because free radicals have an outer shell that is deficient, they react quickly with other molecules trying to steal electrons from adjacent molecules. When the attacked molecule loses its electron, it's chemical properties change and it becomes a free radical itself. This starts a domino effect. Unfortunately, this can damage or destroy living cells such as DNA in the human body. Antioxidants are atoms and molecules that are stable in their current state or even when they lose an electron from their outer shell. So when introduced into a source that has free radicals, they can offer their spare electrons to help neutralize the damaging affects from those free radicals. This helps to minimize cell and tissue damage in the human body and thereby prevent diseases. Vitamins A, C & E are vitamins that act as antioxidants.

Question: Are free radicals produced at random in our bodies? I would like to know if they are, or if would make the same one as our parents did or do for example. Or does everyone make different ones that our parents didnt have? Thanks.

Answer: Free radicals are universal. Your body produces the same ones as your parents or anyone else for that matter. They can have both positive and adverse effects. Free radicals play an important role in a number of biological processes, some of which are necessary for life, such as the intracellular killing of bacteria by phagocytic cells such as granulocytes and macrophages. Free radicals have also been implicated in certain cell signalling processes. This is dubbed redox signaling. The two most important oxygen-centered free radicals are superoxide and hydroxyl radical. They are derived from molecular oxygen under reducing conditions. However, because of their reactivity, these same free radicals can participate in unwanted side reactions resulting in cell damage. Many forms of cancer are thought to be the result of reactions between free radicals and DNA, resulting in mutations that can adversely affect the cell cycle and potentially lead to malignancy. Some of the symptoms of aging such as atherosclerosis are also attributed to free-radical induced oxidation of many of the chemicals making up the body. In addition free radicals contribute to alcohol-induced liver damage, perhaps more than alcohol itself. Radicals in cigarette smoke have been implicated in inactivation of alpha 1-antitrypsin in the lung. This process promotes the development of emphysema. Free radicals may also be involved in Parkinson's disease, senile and drug-induced deafness, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's. The classic free-radical syndrome, the iron-storage disease hemochromatosis, is typically associated with a constellation of free-radical-related symptoms including movement disorder, psychosis, skin pigmentary melanin abnormalities, deafness, arthritis, and diabetes mellitus. The free radical theory of aging proposes that free radicals underlie the aging process itself, whereas the process of mitohormesis suggests that repeated exposure to free radicals may extend life span. Because free radicals are necessary for life, the body has a number of mechanisms to minimize free radical induced damage and to repair damage that occurs, such as the enzymes superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase. In addition, antioxidants play a key role in these defense mechanisms. These are often the three vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E and polyphenol antioxidants. Further, there is good evidence bilirubin and uric acid can act as antioxidants to help neutralize certain free radicals. Bilirubin comes from the breakdown of red blood cells' contents, while uric acid is a breakdown product of purines. Too much bilirubin, though, can lead to jaundice, which could eventually damage the central nervous system, while too much uric acid causes gout. Reactive oxygen species or ROSs are species such as superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl radical and are associated with cell damage. ROSs form as a natural byproduct of the normal metabolism of oxygen and have important roles in cell signaling. Cheers :)

Question: why are free radicals not locked up by the government? they harm humans, they have to be combatted individually every time, so i think the FBI, or the CIA should step up and do the job they are paid for!

Answer: Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your political views), the Freedom of Chemical Activity amendment means that they cannot be legally charged with any offence in the course of their normal chemical reactions. As long as they don't break any laws of chemistry or physics they are legally allowed to perform any chemical reactions for which they have the necessary activation energy. ;-)

Question: What is the realtionship between free radicals and antioxidants?

Answer: Free radical causes cell damage then eventually cancer. antioxidant naturalize them.

Question: How do antioxidants help prevent cellular oxidative damage cause by free radicals?

Answer: I believe that you can find some of the best information on antioxidants and find information on a fruit packed full of antioxidant power at www.simply-blueberries.com

Question: How can the free radicals disrupt the homeostasis process?

Answer: During the development of the autoimmune disease, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) islet cell death is thought to be mediated in part by oxygen and nitrogen free radicals and interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta), secreted by activated macrophages. Free radicals disrupt the homeostasis of biological systems by damaging major constituent molecules such as lipids, proteins, and DNA. Islet cells are quite susceptible to oxidative damage due to low levels of antioxidant enzymes involved in free radical consumption.

Question: What are the most powerful antioxants and what kind of free radicals do they destroy?

Answer: Vitamins A, C, E and Zinc, selenium and those foods rich in the EFA's (essential fatty acids) are all potent antioxidants and function best together ♥ ie ~ Vitamin A ~ liver, dark green and yellow vegies, carotts, pumpkin and yellow fruits; Without enough Vitamin A in your system no amount of potions or lotion will ever give you that rosy glow. Vitamin A will also work to protect the mucosal linings of your ear nose and throat and in the proper functioning of the immune system. Vitamin C ~ citrus fruits such as lemons, limes and oranges, strawberries and blackberries, leafy and green vegies, red and green peppers and tomatoes and potatoes. Vitamin C extends life by enabling protein cells to bind together and also aids in preventing many types of viruses and bacterial infections and will also offer protection from many forms of cancer. Vitamin E ~ wheat germ, vegetable oils (olive oil), nuts, leafy and green vegies, spinach broccoli, whole wheat, whole grain cereals and eggs. vitamin E will keep you looking younger by retarding cellular aging due to oxidation (by plumping out those lines and extending the life of your cells) and also protect your lungs against air pollution by working with vitamin A. Selenium ~ seafood, liver, wheat germ, bran, tuna fish, onions, tomatoes, broccoli, garlic and brown rice. Selenium works in tandem with vitamin E thus they increase each others potency. selenium is another antioxidant that will slow the aging process for you and aid in reducing risk of heart disease and stroke. Zinc ~ essential for protein synthesis and collagen formation. Zinc also increases the power of vitamin C ten fold and help reduce the length and severity of colds. foods rich in zinc are ~ meat, liver, seafood (especially oysters), wheat germ, pumpkin seeds, eggs and ground mustard. EFA's ~ foods rich in the essential fatty acids such as cold water fishes like salmon and tuna will assist in bolstering your immune system, keep skin, hair and nails healthy, more than likely help in reducing depression, alleviate rheumatoid arthritis and lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and help prevent heart attacks and strokes by reducing blood viscosity ♥ Pump up your fresh filtered water intake on a daily basis too to hydrate your body properly and plump up your skin and maintain your health, youth and vitality...... you need at least 2 - 3 litres of water per day. Geez, we need at 2 litres daily just to maintain aspiration (to breath!!)........... :0) Also try to cut back on B complex vitamin thieves such as caffeine, tea, sodas and soft drinks and alcohol if you drink any as they will also dehydrate you terribly. The B complex of vitamins is essential for the maintenance of a healthy immune, neural and digestive system. Take a multi B complex supplement also,particularly if you are lactose intolerant or vegetarian ~ get one including all the B's ie ~ B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B12...... as they all work best as a group.... Don't buy any of the B complex of vitamins individually unless specifically instructed to do so by a nutritionally oriented physician or naturopath ♥ The whole and natural food will always be the most nutritious and easiest to assimilate . Other things that will rob you of your precious B complex of vitamins are ~ antiobiotics, antidepressants, laxatives and diuretics, otc cold and flu meds .................. when we're under stress our B vitamins will be depleted first hun so bolster your immune, digestive and neural system by taking a B complex supplement . Antioxidants will do the following things for you ~ * Retard the aging process; * Lower cholesterol levels; * Decrease risk of atheroslcerosis; * Help protect against heart disease and stroke; * Reduce the risk of all types of cancer; * help slow down progression of alzheimer's disease; * Aid in supressing the growth of tumors; * Help the body detoxify carcinogens; * Protect eyes from macular degeneration, a disease that causes vision loss; * Aid in defending the body against damage from cigarette smoking; * help protect against chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (CPOD) ~ such as asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema. * Offer protection against environmental pollution. As you can see, your best free radical defense is to know your antioxidants and bolster your immune system with them on a daily basis . hope this helps you out a bit mate take care of you & hope i helped a bit ♥ CHEERS ♥

Question: What are "free radicals-molecules" exactly? I just bought a box of Lipton tea and it says the tea contains antioxidants that "help your body protect itself from free radicals-molecules that can damage cells." First off, what are antioxidants? I hear that word just about everywhere now. Second, what are free radicals-molecules? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Answer: Free radicals are atoms with an unpaired electron attached to them and what this electron does is that it would violently react with anything that it comes in contact with. There are many things that we ingest that give off free radicals, the most dangerous is the hydroxyl radical which can attack the membranes of your cells and destroy them. If they are out of control they can cause a cascading effect and destroy other cells. They form though superoxides and these antioxidants stops the development of superoxides into the hydroxyl radicals.

Question: Do you use antioxidents to rid your body of free radicals? What Product? There are MLM roducts that are watered down and low quality at and expensive. Is 100 % better than say 20%? 500 mg per ounce or 30,ooo mg @ oz.- Which is best? Tell me your experiences.

Answer: I use products by Oxyfresh -- LifeShots. It contains Russian Adaptogen and Activin® ,Opti-Berry® ,Pine Bark Extract,Chinese Wolf Berry, Pomegranate, Green Tea Extract and Noni Fruit .