Is active oxygen potentially harmful to humans?
Living organisms have chosen a path of sustaining life by means of oxygen intake, but this path also posed a major risk with the production of active oxygen. Active oxygen is thought to be a cause of health risks such as aging, cancer formation, and various diseases. By taking oxygen into our system, we gain life-sustaining energy but at the same time, large amounts of active oxygen are produced in our system as well. Age spots are also caused by skin cell damage where oxygen on the surface reacts with strong ultraviolet rays to produce active oxygen.
The history of organic life has always included the battle with these harmful chemicals and it is still a major topic in contemporary medical science. Polyphenol is one chemical known to provide great health benefits due to its high potency in neutralizing active oxygen.