You may have heard the terms free radicals, oxidation or cell damage. Its fairly common knowledge that our body's are constantly under attack. Many people have also at least heard that the antioxidants in acai berries, mangosteen and blueberries are great for eliminating them.

But understanding what any of this really means is not as common. Its common to dismiss claims about products like Acai Berry as snake oil. This is because many people don't know what free radicals or antioxidants are.

But, we do in fact know a number of things, even though research is new. We are starting to understand free radicals links to disease, and we are learning what antioxidants are, and why they work.

In the 90's, scientists discovered a link between free radicals and atheroclerosis, and that launched a new phase of research.

Research has now shown that cancer, stroke, Alzheimer's and several other degenerative diseases are all linked to free radical damage. Many scientists attribute all aging effects to this particles damage to your cells.

In a free radical particle, only one electron is present. You might remember, from your science classes, that molecules are very unstable if they only have 1 electron. A molecule with one electron is out of balance, and needs to join with another electron.

A typical example of this, is water or H2O. In water, there is one oxygen molecule, and 2 hydrogen molecules. Notice there is only 1 oxygen molecule, while the oxygen you breath is O2. This means it has 2 Oxygen molecules. O1 or one oxygen molecule cannot exist on its own. Since it can't exist with only 1 electron, it joins with hydrogen, changing it into water.

Oxidization is the name given to this binding. When the molecules bind, the original molecule, hydrogen, oxidizes. Water is the final result, which is a completely different item than you started with.

Think of another type of oxidization - rust. Rust is also known as ferrous-oxide. In this case, the oxidization occurs between iron and oxygen, turning the iron into rust.

The same thing happens in your body. Pollution, cigarrete smoke and chemicals are a few of the known sources of free radicals.

Once in the body, these free radicals need to bond with other molecules in your cells. The joining of the free radicals to your cells causes changes at a molecular level. The molecule changes into something else, just like water and rust. Cancer, clogged arteries, Alzheimer's disease or some other degenerative disease can be the result.

While it is not fully understood all of the causes of free radicals, or their links to disease, it is well understood how they work. Thanks to their single electron structure, free radicals have to attach to your cells. This binding causes a change in structure of the cell.

Free radicals can be fought with antioxidants. Acai berries, blueberries, mangosteen and other high antioxidant foods should be added to your diet.

Science is still investigating the links between free radicals and disease and aging, and how best to fight them. But, we must fight back.