Cracking the secret to beating back Father Time has been a pursuit for centuries. The ancient Greeks worshipped the Gods, hoping it would bring them eternal life. Ponce de León searched for the fountain of youth. Even today, the rage in teen books and movies is the immortal vampire.

One of the most credible theories of aging is the free radical theory. First proposed in 1954 by Dr. Denham Harman, aging occurs when cells sustain damage from long-term and relentless attacks by sub-particles known as free radicals.

The never-ending attack of free radicals inflicts damage to the important cellular components, resulting in the death of the cell. As this process continues in your body over years, the damage spreads to tissues and organs. This accelerates the aging process and manifests as a type of degenerative disease, ultimately resulting in the death of the host [that would be you].

Harman believed that all diseases are related — just different expressions of this free radical damage. What disease ultimately attacks your body can be influenced by genetic predisposition, environmental factors, and lifestyle choices, but 80 – 90 percent of degenerative disease is caused by free radical damage.

Free Radical Damage

Your body is energy in the purest sense. This energy is in a constant state of movement with electrons transferring from one molecule to another. This swapping of electrons occurs billions of times per minute throughout your body. When a molecule gives up an electron, it is oxidized. When it gains an electron, it is reduced. This back and forth process is called respiration.

Respiration is really oxidation — the very process that causes a cut apple to turn brown or metal to rust. While necessary for life, oxygen is the primary ingredient for aging. During respiration and all this swapping of electrons, some invariably leak out and react with oxygen. This is the birth of free radicals.

Tomorrow: how free radicals inflict their damage.