What are anti-oxidants?

Question

I have a basic idea, would like a more complete answer about what they are and what they do. I know many berries contain alot of them.

Answer 1

Here's the gist: There are types of molecules that literally cause rust (oxidative damage) inside the body. These are called "free-radicals" which is a chemistry term that dates back to the late 1800s.

Antioxidants are molecules that neutralize the effects of these free-radicals.

It's like spraying primer on a rust spot on a car. You neutralize the rust and it doesn't get worse.