• the post of tom joad@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    11
    ·
    edit-2
    6 months ago

    I read some interesting comment before (so take it with a grain of salt) where someone who knew a bit of chemistry said, ‘in a way we actually are damaged by the oxygen we breathe’. Details foggy but they mentioned that’s kinda what free radicals are about, that we are burning up on a cellular level, albiet over the course of our lifetimes

    • ThatWeirdGuy1001@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      6 months ago

      Yeah it’s why we have antioxidants. The idea is oxygen is constantly stealing electrons from nearby molecules and antioxidants help replace those electrons.

      Life is just a constant form of slow death. Up until your body simply can’t replace the old cells fast enough anymore.

      • the post of tom joad@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        edit-2
        6 months ago

        Oh good i remembered it roughly right. you happen to have a good layman-friendly source just laying around? id love a refresher. I don’t usually outsource my searches but i mustve used the wrong terms earlier, cuz i keep getting bunk ass health scam sites

    • ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      6 months ago

      It’s true. The medical field over the last few decades has curbed when to give patients high flow concentrated oxygen for this reason.