One of the most outlandish, pseudoscientific, and potentially dangerous ideas perpetrated by the food nuts is that the process of oxidation--the action of oxygen on various molecules--is dangerous. Hence "anti-oxidants" are hyped as the most desirable and health-giving foods in the world. Preposterous!<--This is a molecule of ATP, the most powerful energy-containing molecule known. It is created by our cells and drives all of our living processes. Without it we die. It is created by the process of OXIDATIVE phosphorylation, through which oxygen and glucose are oxidized (lose electrons) to drive cellular metabolism. In the process, "free radicals" (HORRORS) highly reactive molecules that THEORETICALLY can harm proteins, are temporarily created. But the body has evolved ways to handle these reactive molecules, and to date NO RESEARCH has confirmed that any disease is caused by free radicals or oxidation. In fact, excessive intake of anti-oxidants like Vitamins A, D, and E can STOP the process of ATP production and kill; deaths from overdoses of these vitamins are well documented. Well designed studies that test the hypothesis that such anti-oxidants can cure or prevent cancer, for example, have shown the EXACT OPPOSITE EFFECT--they make it grow faster and more lethally.
Oxidation is often cited as the rusting of iron, which is accurate. However, iron is INORGANIC and in fact "rusting" is the natural process by which iron enters the environment AND US, where it is a critical component of blood. It is, in fact, the oxidation of iron that allows blood to carry it to our tissues, where O2 becomes THE essential element for life.
SO DON'T BE FOOLED BY THE ANTI-OXIDANT FOOLS! Life did not evolve until there was sufficient OXIDATION going on; stop it at your peril. Throw those anti-oxidants away!
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