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In the molecular world, there’s a commodity of electrons. But unlike most commodities, more is not necessarily better. Rather, like your shoes, it's just important that they come in pairs.

Molecules with an odd, unpaired electron ‘feel’ off and unbalanced, hungry to nab another. To prevent unlawful electron mugging, your body employs an army of antioxidants.

Antioxidants, like police, protect vulnerable molecules from losing their electrons to ravenously reactive, unbalanced molecules. However, rather than protecting the vulnerable, antioxidants go straight to the source of trouble. Antioxidants directly donate electrons to those unbalanced molecules, keeping them at bay. It would be like the police dishing out wads of cash to muggers on the streets to prevent them from stealing your wallet!

In this way, antioxidants are unique because they can happily donate electrons without negative consequences. Some antioxidants, like vitamins C or E, come from our food, but others are purpose-built by are body. These are called enzymatic antioxidants whose sole job is to defend against unregulated oxidation (loss of electrons). Our bodies will produce the right numbers of enzymatic antioxidants as needed to suit the situation at hand.

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There’s a mnemonic that I was taught during high school chemistry that I still use to this day:
OIL RIG — Oxidation Is Loss (of electrons), Reduction Is Gain (of electrons). It’s not the most inventive, but it’s stuck!