Antioxidants: A beginners guide to understanding these powerful chemicals

Cardiovascular disease and cancer are responsible for 44% of deaths in the US.  6.2 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease and nearly 1 million with Parkinson’s disease.

All of these diseases have one thing in common, oxidative stress. But there is HOPE! The antioxidant defense system. In this article you will learn how antioxidants work in the body and how to optimize the antioxidant defense system to promote overall health and well-being.

What is oxidative stress?

Oxidative stress occurs when our body has an overproduction of the free radical reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS are molecules that are body produces.  ROS is necessary for our body to fight infections, engulf foreign invaders and remove damaged and/or dying cells. The many roles of ROS are complicated so it is better to think of an ROS molecule as more of a spark that can initiate a variety of chain reactions within a cell. If you wanted to create a fire, the spark is necessary.  On the other hand, it can also burn a house down.

Too much ROS creates oxidative stress that causes damage to cell proteins, lipids, and our DNA and is linked to most diseases including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, neurodegenerative diseases and cardiovascular disease.

So, ROS in small doses is good, but too much is harmful. Therefore, maintaining homeostasis is essential to cell survival. There are two main ways the body can tip the balance toward oxidative stress. Oxidative stress occurs when either the body produces too much ROS or the ability to remove ROS is compromised. So, first lets tackle the “overproduction” side of the equation.

Sources of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)

The primary sources of ROS are mitochondrial sources and nonmitochondrial sources.

Mitochondrial production of  reactive oxygen species

Mitochondria are a little organelle located inside of our cells that are responsible (in part) for converting glucose and fats (in the presence of oxygen) into energy. Hence, the name reactive oxygen species. This process is called cellular respiration. Mitochondria produce about 90% of the total ROS in the system.

Non-mitochondrial

Non-mitochondrial sources of ROS include environmental pollutants, pollutants in food, and radiation.

How does the body remove reactive oxygen species?

Now, let’s focus on the other side of the equation and that is the removal of ROS to maintain homeostasis. The way the body removes ROS is via our antioxidant defense system. Antioxidants are molecules that can attach to ROS and turn it from a harmful molecule into a non-harmful molecule. Some antioxidants are produced by the body and some need to come from an external source.

Lifestyle factors linked to oxidative stress

There are many ways to decrease your risk for oxidative stress and thus prevent some of the disabling diseases noted above. First, let’s talk about how you might be able to prevent an over-abundance of ROS production.

Maintain Physical Activity

Animal studies have demonstrated that immobilization (lack of movement) induces oxidative stress. One potential mechanism is that immobilization compromises protein synthesis which causes depletion in a critical endogenous antioxidant, glutathione.

Quality Sleep

Animal studies have also linked sleep deprivation and excess free radical production. Reduction in the critical antioxidant glutathione in the liver, pancreas and several brain areas have also been found in sleep deprived animals.

Manage your Mental and Emotional Health

Mental and emotional stress has also been linked to oxidative stress.

Eat nutrient-dense foods

High fat, high carbohydrate meal that lacks nutrients has also been linked to oxidative stress. Now, it is important to note there are potentially multiple factors involved.

Avoid Environmental Toxins

There are several environmental factors that have been linked to oxidative stress including metabolism of alcohol or pharmaceutical agents, therapeutic (x-ray) radiation, hyperthermia, inflammation and iron overload.

Antioxidant defense system

In addition to the above-noted lifestyle factors, consuming foods rich in antioxidants might be the most

powerful levers you can pull to prevent oxidative stress.

There are antioxidants that our body makes (endogenous), and antioxidants that we must get from outside the body (exogenous). Here is a short list of the main “players” that have the greatest impact on managing those potentially harmful free radicals and prevent oxidative stress:

Endogenous Antioxidants

• Superoxide dismutase (SOD)
• Catalase (CAT)
• Glutathione peroxidase (GPx)
• Glutathione (GSH)

Exogenous Antioxidants (from diet)

• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Carotenoids
• Polyphenols

All of the above mentioned antioxidants have some role in stopping the damaging chain reactions produced by the free radicals implicated in most diseases.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an essential water soluble antioxidant that assists in stabilizing free radicals. Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits, berries, potatos, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli, and spinach. The recommended daily amount of Vitmain C is 90 mg for adult males and 75 mg for adult females. Most people get enough vitamin C from a healthy diet and do not require a supplement.

Carotenoids

Preformed vitamin A is found in foods from animal sources, including dairy products, eggs, fish, and organ meats.  Most dietary provitamin A in the U.S. diet comes from leafy green vegetables, orange and yellow vegetables, tomato products, fruits, and some vegetable oils

Polyphenols

Polyphenol compounds play a role in stopping the negative chain reaction created by free radicals.  Polyphenols are naturally occurring compounds found largely in the fruits, vegetables, cereals and beverages

Fruits like grapes, apple, pear, cherries and berries contains up to 200–300 mg polyphenols per 100 grams fresh weight. The products manufactured from these fruits, also contain polyphenols in significant amounts.  Over 8,000 polyphenols have thus far been identified, though their short- and long-term health effects have not been fully characterized.

Conclusion

A “perfect diet” doesn’t really exist. However, prioritizing foods rich in antioxidants can make it possible to decrease the risk of developing many diseases.

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