I’m studying pharmacy tech and i learned in school that vitamin E is good for our health as it is an antioxidant. it stimulates the production of red blood cells. it is also often added to creams and ointments to help prevent them from oxidizing. Still, i don’t understand how this quite works, what exactly is an ‘antioxidant’ and how does ‘oxidation’ work?
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Oxidative stress refers to the imbalance of having too many free radicals and not enough antioxidants in your body. Chronic conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and inflammatory diseases have been strongly associated with the harmful effects of free radicals.
A bit of background: Atoms are surrounded by electrons that orbit the atom in layers called electron shells. Each shell needs to be filled by a set number of electrons. When a shell is full, electrons begin filling the next shell. Atoms with a full outer shell are stable. However, if an atom’s outer shell is not full, it may bond with another atom, using the other atom’s electrons to complete its own outer shell. These types of atoms are known as free radicals.
Thus, free radicals are unstable because, in an effort to make up the number of electrons in their outer shell, they react with other substances to get that electron they need. These reactions can damage cells and their DNA.
Antioxidants are molecules that fight free radicals by donating an electron to free radicals, thereby reducing their reactivity.