By DAVID PHILIPS M.D. Much has been talked about in the sports and science community about the adverse affects of prolonged and strenuous exercise as it relates to the production of free radicals in an athlete’s body. What are these byproducts of aerobic exercise and why are they damaging to the human body? More importantly, what role do antioxidants play in neutralizing these damaging molecules and what can we as athletes do to facilitate this protective process? * WITHOUT GOOD PROPER NUTRITION YOU MIGHT END UP LIKE THIS DURING YOUR WORKOUT :/ The ‘Radical’ Concept Free radicals are highly reactive species produced during various molecular processes in the human body. While environmental factors such as pollution, radiation and cigarette smoke can spawn free radicals, in this article we will focus on those free radicals produced during endurance exercise. Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms with an odd or unpaired number of [...]