Learn How To Control Oxidative Stress
Oxidative stress is an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in the body, which can lead to cell and tissue damage. Oxidative stress occurs naturally and plays a role in the aging process.
A large body of scientific evidence suggests that long-term oxidative stress contributes to the development in a range of chronic conditions. Such conditions include cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
Oxidative stress can occur when there is an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in the body.
The body's cells produce free radicals during normal metabolic processes. However, cells also produce antioxidants that neutralize these free radicals. In general, the body is able to maintain a balance between antioxidants and free radicals.
Several factors contribute to oxidative stress and excess free radical production. These factors can include:
Diet
Lifestyle
Certain Medical conditions and
Certain Medical conditions and
Environmental Factors such as pollution and radiation
The body's natural immune response can also trigger oxidative stress temporarily. This type of oxidative stress causes mild inflammation that goes away after the immune system fights off an infection or repairs an injury.
What are free radicals?
Free radicals, including reactive oxygen species, are molecules with one or more unpaired electron. Examples of free radicals include:
superoxide
hydroxyl radical
nitric oxide radical
Cells contain small structures called mitochondria, which work to generate energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
Mitochondria combine oxygen and glucose to produce carbon dioxide, water, and ATP. Free radicals arise as byproducts of this metabolic process.
External substances, such as cigarette smoke, pesticides, and ozone, can also cause the formation of free radicals in the body.
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF FREE RADICALS
The effects of oxidative stress vary and are not always harmful. For example, oxidative stress that results from physical activity may have beneficial, regulatory effects on the body.
Exercise increases free radical formation, which can cause temporary oxidative stress in the muscles. However, the free radicals formed during physical activity regulate tissue growth and stimulate the production of antioxidants.
Mild oxidative stress may also protect the body from infection and diseases. In a 2015 studyTrusted Source, scientists found that oxidative stress limited the spread of melanoma cancer cells in mice.
However, long-term oxidative stress damages the body’s cells, proteins, and DNA. This can contribute to aging and may play an important role in the development of a range of conditions
How to Reduce Oxidative Stress
There are two ways to reduce oxidative stress. Avoid exposure to unnecessary oxidation and increase your anti-oxidants. Let’s look at each of these in turn.
Decreasing Exposure to Oxidation
Oxidation increases when we are exposed to stress, toxins, and infections. It is also increased by sugar and chemicals, so the more you can minimize your exposure to these things, the better.
Choosing organic foods and avoiding toxins in your environment makes a big difference. Reducing stress helps too and can be done with what I refer to as “daily stress remedies”. Here are four steps you can take to reduce unnecessary oxidation in your body.
Step 1: Avoid sugar and processed foods
while balancing your blood sugar levels
while balancing your blood sugar levels
When the body has to process sugar it also creates oxidation and the more sugar we eat, the more oxidation happens. Processed foods often contain sugar and/or other chemicals that also result in oxidation. Eating large and infrequent meals also creates more oxidative stress, so balancing your blood sugar by eating smaller, frequent meals, also helps.
Step 2: Prevent infections
When the immune system is fighting off an infection, it ends up creating oxidation which is why, when you get sick, it drains your body of energy. I encourage you to have a strategy to avoid catching colds and infections
Step 3: Allow time for daily stress remedies
It seems so simple, but it really pays off. That’s why you need to build breaks into your day – to give your body a chance to recover. Be sure to honor the breaks in your schedule (or create them) and take them as a chance to enjoy the outdoors, breathe, and re-center. These are some ideas for daily stress remedies:
Exercise
Meditation
Talking with a friend
Enjoying nature
Journaling
Watching a funny show
Taking a walk.
Step 4: Avoid toxins
Choose organic foods and avoid cigarettes, candles, hair and nail salons, carpet, exhaust fumes and plastic. Check your personal care and cleaning products for toxic ingredients and replace them with non-toxic alternatives. READ LABELS
Step 5: Promote the production of anti-oxidants
One of the most powerful anti-oxidants is glutathione which is produced by the body. It is made from three amino acids – glycine, glutamate, and cysteine – and it contains sulfur, which is what makes it so effective.
Eat foods that help your body to make more glutathione include:
Asparagus
Peaches
Walnuts
Spinach
Tomatoes
You can also support your body to make more glutathione by eating foods that are high in sulfur:
Garlic
Onions
Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, collards, and cabbage
Avocados
Or you can take supplements that contain:
N-acetyl cysteine (NAC)
Glycine
Glutamine
Methylfolate
B12
Selenium
SAMe
Alpha lipoic acid
These supplements have also been shown to increase and maintain glutathione:
Vitamins C and E (they protect glutathione from being oxidized)
Zinc
Magnesium
Vitamin D
Milk Thistle
It would be too much to take each of these supplements separately, so I encourage you to find a combination product. Of course it is always important for you to know your health and to choose carefully for your body, with the help of a health care provider.
click on SHOP (in the Navigation bar) for a place to purchase your quality vitamins and supplements
click on SHOP (in the Navigation bar) for a place to purchase your quality vitamins and supplements
Or even a high quality multivitamin containing antioxidants, such as .
There are also supplements containing actual glutathione, which is especially helpful when your levels are low and if you have genetic SNPs that may cause your levels to become depleted. It is important to choose a product that is either sustained release (see an example here) or has non-soy, non-GMO phosphatidylcholine to increase glutathione absorption
Step 6: Eat foods that are high in anti-oxidants
You can add to what your body produces by eating foods that are high in anti-oxidants every day. These tend to be the foods that are the most colorful, for example:
Beets
Kale
Berries
Tomatoes
Other good sources of anti-oxidants include:
Nuts and seeds
Green and black tea
And herbs such as:
Cinnamon
Ginger
Curcumin (also known as turmeric)
The more anti-oxidants you eat, the better you can counter oxidation and prevent oxidative stress.
Step 7: Take herbs that are high in anti-oxidants
Research indicates that the four leading herbal sources of anti-oxidants are:
Green tea
Curcumin (turmeric)
Quercetin
Resveratrol
Find a product with all of these herbs in one here.
Other useful antioxidants in supplements that can be taken daily, either separately or together, for ongoing support are:
CoQ10
Selenium
Vitamin C