subject: Why It Is Important That You Maintain A Strong Immune System? [print this page] We need oxygen to breathe as without it we would die. Are body cells also depend on oxygen as does all animal and plant life that lives on the planet earth. Oxygen is key to the reproduction and health of our cells. It also plays a very important role in turning the food we eat into the energy that is needed for our body and organs to function.
Ironically as oxygen is essential to giving us life it has a dangerous side affect. It is highly chemically reactive and this oxidisation can cause damage to our bodies. This oxidisation affect can damage or cells at a cellular level. This can cause a number of dangerous processes and reactions. It can trigger the onset of serious diseases such as cancer, internal organ damage, and cell damage that results in humans becoming older.
This oxidisation process causes a by product called free oxidising radicals. These are more commonly known as free radicals. Free radicals are actually a by product that is caused by all combustion processes. For example, when a car engine combusts fuel to power the car a by product of the combustion process is petrol fumes. When our body turns the food we eat into the energy we need to function the by product or left over waste are these free radicals. As pointed out before these free radicals are toxic and having these left circulating in our bodies is bad for our health.
The good news is that we have a weapon that can combat these free radicals. This weapon is antioxidants which are made up of a group of essential vitamins that include vitamin A vitamin C and vitamin E. Also, included in this group is the vitamin bet-carotene. These make up the main core of vitamins that are categorised as antioxidants. However, antioxidants also contain a host of other free radical neutralisers that include bioflavonoids and cyanidins that are contained naturally in the food we eat.
Antioxidants are essential to strengthening our immune system. Our immune system protects us from infections, diseases and viruses. We are all exposed to free radicals and the amount of antioxidants in your body to combat their destructive nature can determine whether you eventually get a life threatening disease. Therefore, it is important that you top up on your levels of antioxidants. You can achieve this with minor changes to your diet. Start by eating more fresh organic fruit and vegetables as they contain the essential antioxidants to combat the free radicals.
If you have a health condition or food allergy then seek the advice of a doctor before changing your diet
