Free Radicals Ravaging Our Skin

by Jenny Mathers
(Australia)

Hi Linda,

I just thought I'd add my thoughts on free radicals and wrinkles. Wrinkles show character, but I don't want to look like my grandmother, and while surfing your site, it suddenly occurred to me that amongst other things free radicals cause wrinkles.

As a bit of background, free radicals are oxygen molecules that have become unstable because it is missing an electron. These free radicals are unbalanced - kind of like a three legged dog and hobble around our bodies trying to steal a leg from another dog (an electron from another molecule). Once a molecule has taken an electron from the second molecule, that second molecule tries to take an electron from a third molecule and it goes on and on.

Amongst many other physiological affects, the damage causes wrinkles when collagen begins to break down. One of the best ways to combat free radical damage is to increase the variety of fruits & veggies in our diet and get rid of the junk which is often accompanied by trans fatty acids.

So if I eat foods high in antioxidants, one of the beneficial effects of this will be to slow damage to my skin cells. Particularly if I eat foods high in vitamins A, E and C which can be found in carrots, citrus fruits, oily fish and nuts, I am fighting free radical damage within my body.

When all is said and done, it really comes down to eating well and getting plenty of complex carbohydrates, fruit, vegetables, a small amount of good fats, lean protein sources and low fat dairy. These are some of the very same principles that I use in fitness and fat loss and it just goes to show you how our bodies suffer when we live an unbalanced lifestyle.
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Hi Jenny,

Good to hear from you. Yes, you're right creams, lotions, and skin devices are only one part, the other part must include a healthy diet that is low glycemic - which happens naturally if you avoid junk food and processed foods.

Thanks,
Linda, Admin