During oxidation, certain chemical substances are produced and among them are those that are highly reactive and chemically unstable. These substances are called free radicals. Free radicals can be harmful to the body, especially if there is an excess of them. They may cause damage to the cell membranes, causing them to weaken. One of the many functions of natural antioxidants is to work against the formation of cellular damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive chemical substances which are produced whenever our body undergoes the process of oxidation, e.g. breathing. When free radicals are released, they immediately latch unto other molecules, stealing their electrons and in so doing, turning them into unstable molecules like themselves. Based on their findings, scientists say that by the time you are 20 years old, most of the cells that make up your body have already used up half of their available cell divisions in their cell lifespan. That means by the time you are 40, your cells may only have 30 per cent of cell divisions left. This is actually the reason behind the physical changes that goes on not only inside but outside the body as you approach your years. The new study on antioxidant red grapes, released in April 9, was conducted by researchers at Creighton University in Omaha. The group of researchers who conducted the study say that a compound extracted from the seeds of red grapes called Activin (tm) is that substance with powerful antioxidant red grapes properties. The Benefits of Super Antioxidants The job of super antioxidants is to hunt down free radicals but not to eliminate them. No. But to neutralize them so they'll stop their disease-causing rampaging. Literary tools aside, super antioxidants do indeed react against the harmful effects of free radicals by stopping them from reacting with the molecules in the first place. Because atoms seek to reach a state of maximum stability, an atom will try to fill its shell with electrons by: Gaining or losing electrons to either fill or empty its outer shell Sharing its electrons by bonding together with other atoms in order to complete its outer shell Free Radicals: The Formation The free radicals are formed when weak bonds between atoms are split.