“Contains AntiOxidants” has become a promotional marketing slogan that is raking in millions of dollars for companies that sell everything from bottled water to lip sticks. And consumers will consume things that carry that slogan, even if they have no idea what an antioxidant actually is, or why they might need some.
Our bodies acquire atoms, or groups of atoms called free radicals from the air we breathe, the foods we eat, and the beverages we drink. We also create free radicals within our bodies. These free radicals cause damage to our cells in a domino effect, like a chain reaction. Free radicals can even affect DNA and cell membranes, causing the cells to die.
Antioxidants are produced in the body to fight the evil free radicals, our own small army of soldier molecules. However, if we do not take in enough essential nutrients that contain or produce antioxidants, we might lose the battle.
That is where the antioxidants supplied by the manufacturers of our foods and other products enter the picture. There are some elements that are not created naturally in the body, we must get them somewhere else.