What is the function of antioxidants?

Answer 1

An antioxidant is any molecule that is stable with or without all its necessary electrons. A free radical, on the other hand, is a molecule that is unstable when it loses an electron.

The purpose of an antioxidant is to donate one of its electrons to the unstable free radicals. Once it has done that, both molecules are stable.

An unstable free radical causes damage to nearby healthy cells when it "bounces" around looking for an electron to steal. A damaged healthy cell is the cause of aging, illness and disease.

Antioxidants, therefore, are nature's solution to that problem.

Answer 2

Antioxidants are intimately involved in the prevention of cellular damage -- the common pathway for cancer, aging, and a variety of diseases.