Physorg - Free Radicals maybe good for you
Free radicals in the human heart cells play a role in assisting the heart pump blood faster during stressful situations. The mechanism is through beta-adrenergic receptors, which help to contract the heart cells more rapidly. During this process, mitochondria in the heart cells create free radicals. It seems what the scientists discovered was that heart cells treated with antioxidants (which neutralize free radicals) diminished the ability of the heart cells to contract more quickly.
