Are you feeling tired or suffering from memory loss? Do you have unexplained muscle or joint pain? Shown the doctor, taking the medicines but problems don’t go away. It is time you should consider the possibility that you are suffering from oxidative stress.
It is ironical that the very process which provides body with nutrition causes stress as a left over.
Terms explained
Conversion of food to energy by our body is called metabolism.
Any fuel burns in presence of oxygen to give out carbon dioxide, water and energy. The energy produced by the body is measured in terms of ATP.
Oxygen is also a reactive element. When it comes in contact with any atom, molecule or ion, one electron is removed in a process called oxidation. Glucose is the primary source of energy and oxidation of glucose creates energy for our cells.
Food is broken down into molecules during digestion. In the small intestine, the enzymes finish the process by breaking down protein to amino acids, fats to fatty acids and carbs to glucose. This glucose is send to the cells for energy synthesis.
Reactive Oxygen Species
During the process of metabolism, one electron is removed at each step from glucose. This bond breaking releases energy which is used again to create a new molecule of ATP.
During these reactions there is a chance that a free electron might escape the cell walls. This free electron is very reactive. They can grab an electron from either a fatty acid, protein or even a DNA setting off a chain reaction. Free radicals start damaging the cell walls and destroy the proteins inside the cell.
Body defence mechanism – antioxidants
Our body has it’s own defence mechanism against free radicals. Cells generate antioxidants to neutralise them. If free radicals need one electron, anti oxidants have one electron to donate. Normally our body is able to balance between creation of free radicals and production of antioxidants. Generally cells manufacture antioxidants, however even our body can create antioxidants like uric acid. But there are times when the production of free radicals increases greatly. Here are the reasons why.
Environmental pollutants like chemicals, bad air, smoke, smog, radiation are main contributing factors. Toxic chemicals like heavy metals, asbestos increase the amount of free radicals in the cells. Unhealthy lifestyle, junk food and bad eating habits also increase the amount of free radicals because of the toxins in the food and they also reduce the ability of our cells to mount the antioxidants defence mechanism. Smoking and alcohol are also one of the key contributing factors.
Free radicals are not all that bad and useless. Our body uses free radicals in some processes. For example the immune system uses free radicals to fight germs and infection. If you get an injury, the healing process begins with free radicals. While exercising, free radicals are released which causes oxidative damage to the muscles and starts the production of antioxidants. Free radicals in the brain help with cell growth and neurological functions like touch and smell.
Anti-oxidants from food
If you are living a city life, your body must be flooded with free radicals. The only way to neutralise them is to get free radicals from food sources.
Here is the point to remember, every fruit and plant has its own collection of anti oxidants. But they are useless for humans. For example all fruits have anti oxidants which help them stay fresh for a long time even after they are removed from a tree.
Here is a list of anti oxidants which can come from food sources.
- Vitamin A, C & E
- Carotenoids (especially beta carotene)
- Lipoic Acid
- Phenolic Acid
- Selenium
Get a customised meal plan to fight the free radicals in your body.