Free Radicals (FRs) have been found by research to attack cells of the joint cartilage causing inflammation, joint pains and cartilage destruction.
Lets look a bit further into the cause of joint pain in osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. The pain is actually caused by a certain type of substance (or atoms) in your body. Its what the medical experts call "Free Radicals" which are present in your body and joints when we eat foods or consume drinks containing toxins or when we breath in the air containing chemicals. They attack the cartilage causing the pain as well as destroying the cartilage further.
So what exactly are free radicals and how do they damage the cartilage in our joints? Briefly, everything in our bodies is made up of atoms which bond together to form molecules and cells by sharing electrons. These molecules are based on carbon with small clusters of other atoms called radicals attached. A FR is an unattached, highly charged atom that is missing an electron. In order to neutralise its charge to stay alive, it quickly combines with an adjacent stable atom in the joint's cartilage in order to steal an electron to stable itself and consequently making the molecule it attacks unstable. When the "attacked" molecule loses its electron, it becomes a FR itself and quickly attacks the nearest healthy atom in a cell, beginning a chain reaction. Once the process is started, it can cascade resulting in pains and inflammation and destruction of the joint. Free radicals also attack other organs of the body causing many other ailments including cancers, heart diseases, asthma, and diabetis, etc.
One thing to note is that free radicals are not part of the toxins the body gets from foods. FRs are produced internally by the body's immune system to combat the toxins in the body. The more toxins we have the more FRs are produced. Free radicals are not clever atoms and whilst attacking the toxins they also attack the healthy molecules in the cartilage and other organs and that's where the problem is.The body also produces free radicals to deal with viruses and infections and also when we are under stress.
How do the body deal with free radicals? The body can deal with certain amount of FRs but they need minerals and vitamins which we can obtain through our diet to carry out this task. There are basically 2 defence systems against free radicals.
The first form of defence is a number of enzymes (known as glutathione peroxidases, superoxide dismutases and catalase). These are responsible for decreasing the concentrations of some of the most harmful free radicals in the body. Minerals such as zinc, copper, selenium, and manganese are essential for the formation and activity of these enzymes. These minerals can be obtained from most fruits and vegetables. Meat, fish and eggs also have minerals in them but as you find out later in this book these foods need to be eaten in moderation or they will be toxic and will make your arthritis worse. If we do not have a balanced diet to supply the body with these important minerals our 1st line of defence could be very weak. One thing to bear in mind is that you cannot take mineral (or vitamin) supplements as a substitution for a balanced diet. The natural minerals and vitamins obtained from your fruits, vegetables, fish and meat are more superior and more effective than the supplements.
The second line of defence working along side these enzymes and of particular importance is a substance called antioxidants which are known to have the ability to neutralise FRs. Antioxidants render FRs harmless by chemically reacting with them and providing them with electrons that free radicals need. Subsequent to reacting with antioxidants, FRs become stable and no longer have the need to steal electrons from healthy cells. What is interesting is that an antioxidant remains stable even after losing an electron to a FR and does not become a FR itself.
So what are these amazing antioxidants and how do we obtain them? They are extremely good for you in that they have the ability to "kill" free radicals. Antioxidants are molecules of certain vitamins including vitamins A, C, E, and beta carotene, found in many brightly coloured fruits and vegetables.
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