Know the Unknown Risk of Free Radicals Affecting Your Eye

Nutrition is important for maintaining a better eye health and at the same time you should also be aware of the dangers of free radicals present in your body affecting your eyesight.

You may be even surprised to know that free radicals present in your body can cause cataract and the equally surprised researchers have started to study whether the same free radicals are responsible for glaucoma complication and for the destroying of vital nerve tissues in your eyes.

During an another study, it was also established that incidence of glaucoma can be reduced or the effect of visual loss caused out of glaucoma can be reduced if the oxidation process is effectively countered with an opposing anti-oxidant or anti-oxidants that can interfere with the oxidation process.

What are Free Radicals?

Free radicals are in fact highly reactive molecular fragments and they are always in a ready form to act or react chemically with other substances.

The presence of free floating unpaired electrons makes it possible for the free radicals to either release one of its electron that get attached to the molecule of other substances or the free radical can seize an electron from the molecule of other near by substances and in the process an entirely destabilized compound with a new structure will be formed.

On a regular basis, such type of molecular exchanges will be happening and in the event of an oxygen molecule entering into another compound then the process is known as oxidation and the resultant compound is said to be oxidized.

And presence of such oxidised substances can be a potential and unpredictable health hazard.

However, there are certain positive aspects about the presence of free radicals and its electron exchange process. To quote one, your blood carries oxygen to the various parts of your body and to all the cells only by involving free radicals.

Further, free radicals are very beneficial in maintaining your body’s natural immune system as free radical help in fighting with the invading pathogens and other bacteria.

Few another advantages of free radicals in your body is that it helps in digestive process for breaking down the food you eat, helps your nervous system to maintain a healthy and active muscles, helps you in your day to day thought process, feelings, emotional intelligence, etc.

However, there are certain limitations about the number or the level of free radicals in your body and in case the free radicals increase beyond the limit of your body’s ability to use them or control them, then you are bound to face unpredictable complications and risks.

During the various ongoing metabolic actions and reactions of your body such as energy conversion from glucose, etc., free radicals are formed in your body. Most of the free radicals thus formed are either used or eliminated immediately by your body system.

There may be a situation wherein few free radicals might escape usage by your body and start roaming within your system and only such free roaming free radicals pose a major threat to your health.

During the oxidation process of natural metals such as iron or copper present in your body, free radicals are formed and for any given standards, your body’s natural mechanism will be able to protect you from detrimental aspects of these excess elements.

Your body’s natural protective mechanism converts these excess iron and stores it in the form of hemoglobin in red blood cells and sometimes it will supply a special protein that will remove the iron to other place.

In case of any excess of these minerals or elements beyond your body’s removing capacity and if your body cannot efficiently manage these elements, then the triggered chain reaction will result in production of free radicals that will interfere with fat and oxidize them.

The risk of such oxidised fat is that they will get accumulated in your blood stream and cause arterial damage. A recent study also establishes the fact that many of our diseases are in fact caused by the free radicals present in our body and to quote few.

The Type II diabetes and the Parkinson’s disease are the two main diseases caused by the presence of free radicals that are beyond the capacity of our body to eliminate.

You may be aware that cancer is a disease where there will be uncontrolled replication of cells. In one of the recent studies, it was found that when free radicals react with DNA, the reaction would trigger a process, which is being misunderstood as replication response by cells, and result in cancerous growth.

Free radicals are also capable of interfering with the lubricating mechanisms of our body and can cause joint pains besides causing muscle pain by interfering with the elasticity property of tendons.

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