So what are they and why should you care about them? We shall begin our story with Free Oxidising Radicals. If you have had your mind numbed by beauty product commercials you may have heard of these nasties. (Here comes the science bit) Free radicals are produced when certain molecules react with unstable oxygen molecules during the process of combustion, for example during; smoking, burning of petrol (car exhaust fumes), frying or barbequing food, normal bodily processes and (Oh No) exercise. These free radicals can float around in our bodies damaging healthy cells, and are implicated in; susceptibility to infections, ageing, cancer, heart disease, cataracts and macular degeneration (vision loss common in elderly people), diabetes, Hypertension (high blood pressure), infertility, arthritis, cognitive impairment and stroke.

All is not lost, because these dangerous chemicals can be disarmed by antioxidants which are possibly the most important nutrients that you will ever hear about. Some of the big names are vitamins A, C and E, as well as beta-carotenes (found in red, orange and yellow fruit and vegetables) Selenium (found in Brazil nuts) Zinc, and bioflavonoids (also from fruit and vegetables) as well as many others. If you can balance the number of free radicals entering your body with the number of antioxidants entering your body then it is thought you can help your body avoid the diseases listed above. It is hardly surprising that studies have linked high levels of antioxidants with longer lives, and the absence of chronic diseases.

In studies around the world, high levels of antioxidants were found in people over the age of 100, and elderly people with high cognitive function also had higher levels of antioxidants. Many other research projects have linked low intake of antioxidants with Alzheimer