Free radicals – we know the name, but what exactly are they, and why do you need to protect yourself against them?

Single Electrons Seeking Partners

First, a brief science bit. Free radicals are atoms, but not healthy, stable ones. Atoms are surrounded by layers – known as shells – of orbiting electrons. If the atom’s outermost shell has one or more unpaired electrons in the outer shell, it sets out on a laser-focused mission to bond with another atom.

The free radical molecule uses the second atom’s electrons to ‘complete’ its outer shell. It acts fast, bonding with the other atom and thus stabilizing itself. But at what cost?

Free Radical Damage Does All This?

This bonding …