As we all know, oxygen is essential for our life. However, there is a dark side of oxygen that most of us might not know. It is the oxidative stress or the free radicals damages that happen as a by-product of metabolism.

When oxygen is utilized inside our body, occasionally a charged oxygen molecule (called free radical) is created. This molecule has at least one unpaired electron in its outer orbit. It carries an electrical charge rendering it very reactive and unstable. It goes about and pulls electron(s) out of the nearest stable molecules it comes across. This activity sets a destructive chain reaction inside our body because when the latter molecules lose their electrons, they would become new free radicals.

Dr Ray Strand gives a vivid description about these "bad guys", the free radicals. He relates them to tiny little sparks coming off from the fireplace. When each of these sparks lands on the carpet, a little burn mark would be created. Over time, with more and more burn marks, the carpet would be so damaged that it would be beyond repair. This is exactly what is happening inside our body. Chronic degenerative diseases are very much a build up of tiny little damages (cellular damages) over a long, long period of time. For instance, cancer takes easily fifteen, twenty, or even thirty years to surface.

It is estimated that each cell of the body could be bombarded 10,000 hits by free radicals everyday. As a result, every protein or lipid, every structure in the cell, and every substance produced by the cell are all susceptible to damages.

The good news is that we are not left defenseless. We have antioxidants playing an important role to neutralize the free radicals by forgoing their own electrons. They are just like the glass door we place in front of the fireplace. The sparks will still fly but our carpet is protected. The carpet in this case is our body.

Living a healthy life is a matter of balance between the two opposing forces: your enemy - the free radicals; and your allies - the antioxidants and their supporting nutrients.

The name of the game is to stay ahead of the free radicals. You must have sufficient antioxidants to readily neutralize these bad guys as and when they arise. Otherwise, you would expose yourself to free radical damage (oxidative stress) which if left to accumulate over time, would develop into serious chronic degenerative diseases.