They may cause damage to the cell membranes, causing them to weaken. Because free radicals are chemically unstable, they have this bad habit of stealing electrons from stable molecules and in so doing, turn these molecules into free radicals themselves. The result is a chain reaction which can only be stopped with the entrance of antioxidants. Free radicals are not harmful in themselves. In fact, they can be beneficial. The only problem is they do not distinguish between healthy and harmful molecules so that there is a great possibility that they would also "attack" your other healthy cells, causing massive cellular damage, tissue damage, and eventually resulting in a chronic disease or disorder, such as aging. Antioxidant Enzyme During normal metabolic functions, highly reactive compounds called free radicals are created in the body. However, free radicals may also be introduced from the environment. These compounds are inherently unstable since they have an odd number of electrons. To make up for their shortage in electrons, these free radicals will react with certain chemicals in the body, and in so doing, they interfere with the cell's ability to function normally. Antioxidant Supplements It's a continuing puzzle even for scientists why people who eat lots of fruit and vegetables are less likely to develop diseases like cancer and heart disease. Sure, fresh fruits are generally low in fat and high in fiber, but it's much more than that. Recent studies have shown that part of the benefit from eating fresh produce everyday comes from antioxidants. In the vegetable variety, russet potatoes, red beans, and red cabbage are topping the list as well. However, there are also other fruits and vegetables that may contain more essential benefits to our health. One such food product is flax seed where we get the beneficial flax oil. What is Flax Oil? Flax oil is the essential oil that is derived from flax seeds, which are a great source of fiber. Hence, this aspect of antioxidant antiaging therapy focuses more on extrinsic aging, which is the aging process compounded by externally caused factors. On the other hand, the programmed theories are primarily concerned with the genetics of how long and how efficient our cells can maintain optimum health.