Free Radicals May Not Be as Bad as Thought

Investigators in Sweden propose in a new research paper that the role of free radicals in the human body, and the chemicals' negative effects, may have been exaggerated over the past few years.

The scientists say that these snippets of material may in fact play an important role in supporting the normal, regular heartbeat in healthy people. The radicals may be aiding the heart beat with full force.

Generally speaking, free radicals are molecules that are capable of reacting with other chemicals in the environment at a moment's notice. Under certain conditions, this predisposition can have negative effects, experts have established years ago.

The main mechanism through which free radicals harm the human body is by causing damage to cells as they react with chemicals in their environment. But the new study shows they only cause negative effects under some circumstances, rather than all the time.

These conclusions belong to a team of experts at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet, that published its conclusions in the latest issue of the scientific Journal of Physiology.

The effect that free radicals play in heart physiology was the main focus of the new investigation. The conclusion was that the modern drive to eliminate these molecules may have been premature.

Chemicals such as these can be annihilated by using antioxidants, a class of compounds that can be found naturally in tea and also in a wide array of dietary supplements, where they are added artificially.

“As usual, it’s a case of everything in moderation. In normal conditions, free radicals act as important signal substances, but very high levels or long-lasting increases can lead to disease,” explains study leader Håkan Westerblad, a KI professor.

Together with the KI team, the expert showed that free radicals are produced in larger quantities during times when an individual is in some sort of stressful situation. The molecules then contribute to strengthening heartbeats, allowing the heart to cope with the effort.

“Free radicals play an important role, since they contribute to the heart being able to pump more blood in stress-filled situations,” Håkan Westerblad explains.

“On the other hand, persistent stress can lead to heart failure, and chronically increased levels of free radicals may be part of the problem here,” the professor concludes, quoted by Science Blog.