Koster J F
Tijdschr Gerontol Geriatr. 1986 Jun;17(3):99-103.
Several theories were formulated to explain the process of aging. Now they often appeared out of date. The free radical theory is a rather recent one that is based on the production of free radicals during normal physiological respiration. A lot of data indicate their role in the progress of aging. Clearly also other factors play a role in this process: the toxicity of free radicals may for instance depend on the availability of free iron. So on the one hand we need oxygen for existence and free radicals may destroy infectious bacteria; on the other hand oxygen appears to be toxic and may be supposed to underly the process of aging.
人们提出了几种理论来解释衰老过程。现在它们常常显得过时了。自由基理论是一个相当新的理论，它基于正常生理呼吸过程中自由基的产生。许多数据表明它们在衰老进程中的作用。显然，其他因素在这个过程中也起作用：例如，自由基的毒性可能取决于游离铁的可用性。所以一方面我们生存需要氧气，自由基可能会消灭感染性细菌；另一方面，氧气似乎具有毒性，可能被认为是衰老过程的基础。
