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Cellular Defense Lesson 1 – Free Radicals
Yes, Free Radicals also exist on a cellular level of our organisms. Just as you must attain perfection of your defensive skills on the Tatami, you must do the same during the rest of the time. Actually, our immune system does it for us. All we have to do is, just supply it with proper nutrition and of course discipline. If you lost that battle on molecular level what can you really do in the ring.
There are few types of these free radial cells, we won’t get into that. In general they are a by product of normal oxygen metabolism. They are produced in body’s cells and tissues. Free radicals can damage practically every component of a cell including it’s proteins, nucleic acid, and particularly the fatty acid bi-layer membrane. A damaged cell can’t reproduce it self, doesn’t function properly and dies from starvation or from the pollution of waste products. Also, damage to the cell membrane by free radicals can cause them to rapture, spilling cellular contents including damaging enzymes into the surrounding tissue. Moreover, when the DNA is attacked by free radicals it alters the genetic code which increases the likelihood of abnormal cell duplication and growth.
This kind of damage accelerates the aging process as the tissues (organs of the body) loose their function due to the steadily decreasing number of cell. In addition a damaged cell can’t function properly.
Damage caused by free radicals is suspected to contribute to pre emptive aging, cancer, impaired immune function.
Free radicals are implicated in cancer development by their damage to the chromosomes and nucleic acids which initiate irregular cell growth. It is thought that the promotion stage of cancer might also involve free radicals.
