Antioxidants prevent highly reactive and unstable molecules called free radicals from reacting with healthy cells to accumulate and cause many illnesses like cancer, gene mutations, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s disease, and heart conditions. This accumulation is called oxidative stress and happens when the amount of free radicals and antioxidants are unbalanced. Electrons surround atoms and they are the things that get transferred as atoms bond together. Generally atoms want 8 electrons in their outer shell because they are most complete and stable that way (see "Elements, Atoms & Ions" for more information atom structure and transfer of electrons).

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Atoms also want their electrons to come in pairs, but free radicals have an unpaired electron and they will do anything and react with anything to complete that pair to get closer to the 8 electrons. So they snatch electrons from healthy tissues and damage components of their cells, resulting in diseases. But antioxidants donate that electron before they can do damage. These dangerous free radicals also negatively affect the skin as they react with cells, change cell DNA, and speed up skin cell aging.

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