About 1–2 percent40 of all high-energy electrons that pass through your cells leak out where oxygen can grab them. When oxygen gets its hands on a high-energy electron, it basically turns into the Hulk, changing from lowly oxygen into what’s called superoxide, a type of free radical. A free radical is what it sounds like—a molecule that can be unstable, out of control, and violently reactive. The superoxide is just pumped up with energy and can start smashing around the cell, knocking stuff over and tripping over your DNA.
