Anti-Oxidants, Free Radicals, & Oxidative Stress By: Jacquelyn G. Thompson aka. "That Little Buff Chef"

 

Anti-Oxidants, Free Radicals, 

& Oxidative Stress

By: Jacquelyn G. Thompson | Aug. 3, 2021| M.S. in Clinical Nutrition |

NQ. NPC Bikini Competitor

This article is taken from an excerpt utilized for an assignment submitted for my Clinical Biochemistry Course, Fall 2021 at SCNM on the study of anti-oxidants, free radicals, & oxidative stress and the effects on human health and overall benefits in the human body.

Oxygen, in terms of life on Earth at least, is an invaluable and indispensable ingredient for what we know as “life”. But, like all factors of human life, this element too comes with both rewards, providing the air we breath and courses through our lungs, and a cost.

 This cost is called oxidation and is a natural part of life for those of us on the blue planet. When we breath in this nutritious element, or bodies use it to create energy, or ATP, produced by our mitochondria. 

This in turn creates bi-products also known as free radicals, or oxidants. 

These can be either RNS or reactive nitrogen species or ROS, reactive oxygen species, and they play both rolls as toxic and beneficial in nature. (Lien Ai Pham-Huy, p.89, 2008).

The cells of our body like all other aspects of our temporary world, go through the process of aging. This is a result of oxidation, or the changing of cells as they are exposed to and damaged by oxygen. 

This is natural, but when cells become overwhelmed by additional damage, they become catabolic at an exceeding rate. Oxidants and free radicals are molecules lacking in an electron. Electrons like to be balanced, so when free radicals come in contact with other cells they are drawn to those other cells electrons (creeper alert), and begin bonding to or stealing electrons from neighboring cells, which in turn either: 

a.) do the same

or

b.) become catabolic.

And so like a bar on a Saturday night full of singles and too many bachelorette parties at last call...

 This pairing, unpairing, stealing, and trading of electrons causes a damaging chain reaction amongst groups of cells that needs to be neutralized, requiring either the internal system to de-escalate things via enzymes (like the antioxidant equivalent of a bouncer) or external means (insert wingman antioxidant here). When this cycle becomes prolonged and overwhelms the system it is known as oxidative stress.

This is part of a natural act of life and in part can be part of both a healthy and unhealthy lifestyle. Working out, requiring the use of more ATP, creating more internal waste material, and more breathing, creates more by-products, and increases the rate of anabolism and catabolism, not just of muscle or body fat as most are used to thinking in terms of, but of cellular degeneration as well. 

Depending on our nutrient intake, as well as prompts for the cells to remove waste material, adapt, and improve, this as a whole can improve the cellular repair process in general. Many athletes experience these adaptive benefits throughout their competitive career and when balanced with an equal level of antioxidants, can cause an almost anti-aging effect as their body becomes more adept in recovering and adapting to this process overall. But for some, this damage is overwhelming to the system tipping the scale when compounded with other causes such as chronic disease or inflammation. 

When too much oxidative stress is present, whether from poor recovery, inadequate nutrition, a lack of key macronutrient and micronutrient consumption, chronic inflammation, and mental stressors, compounded with either prolonged daily life stressors, environmental stressors, free radicals, toxins, genetic mutations, and chronic disease state, (I know, scary list here but don't freak out), oxidative stress can escalate calling for a need in dietary antioxidants as an aid to be used. If not, chronic disease states such as cancer or degenerative diseases can rapidly occur.

Anti-oxidants are just what they sound like, molecules that contribute this essential electron molecule to the needy Nancy free radicals. They're basically the “Free hugs” guy of the cellular world. 

By providing these additional electrons, they neutralize this neediness and stealing behavior of oxidants and free radicals, preventing the beginning of or stopping the cycle of cellular catabolism and the chain reaction of oxidative stress in the process. Our body uses both endogenous (or internal) and exogenous (external) systems to combat this reaction. While our endogenous system possesses enzymes to carry out the role of combating these free radicals as part of our internal defense system, we also need external defense aids too, such as Vitamin C or E.

While anti-oxidants supplements are available, they are debatable and beneficial to specific areas of the body. Beta-carotene for example is widely known for its benefits in ocular health, and vitamin E has been considered for use in prevention against certain types of cancers such as prostate, colon, and breast cancer (Lien Ai Pham-Huy, p.93, 2008).

Ensuring we have an adequate balance of these nutritionally in our diet, is better met through consuming foods rich in fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants, as these sources are more bioavailable and varying in antioxidant amounts for our body to use for the reparative process in the fight against oxidative stress.

 

Work Cited:

• Lien Ai Pham-Huy, H. H.-H. (2008). Free Radicals, Antioxidants, in Disease and Health. International Journal of Biomedical Science: IJBS, 89-96.