Do You Know Your Oxidative Stress Risk Markers

BWFM

Jan 13, 2025

Oxidative Stress, Free Radicals, Anti-Oxidants OH MY!

Do You Know Your Oxidative Stress Risk Markers? (Part 1 of 3)

What is Oxidative Stress?

Oxidative stress occurs when there is an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in your body, which can cause cell damage

Your body produces free radicals during metabolic processes, as well as antioxidants that neutralize the free radicals. However, when too many free radicals are produced, they can impair cell regeneration and repair, leading to accelerated aging and the development of certain diseases over time.

Oxidative stress is like the accumulation of rust on a car. This rust can make the walls of our blood vessels rough and sticky, leading to problems like atherosclerosis, where our arteries get clogged and hard. Through the years of wear and tear, rust slowly begins to show. First a little here, then a little there. Eventually, rust begins to overtake the entire thing.

Your cells act in a similar way. Researchers found early on that as you age, you begin to accumulate free radicals and other oxidants.

What are Free Radicals?

Essentially, free radicals are unstable molecules.

They are missing an electron from their outer shell. That makes them unstable, so they go and steal an electron from the molecules in your skin cells, or from your blood cells or from wherever they can. This causes damage to surrounding cells.

Those electrons usually come in even numbers. But free radicals have an odd number of electrons. Free radicals are desperately looking for electron to get balanced and even.

This is where the benefits of "vetted" antioxidants come in.

Like free radicals, antioxidants also have an uneven number of electrons. Unlike free radicals, though, antioxidants don't typically steal from otherwise stable molecules to keep themselves in check.

But antioxidants do happily take an unpaired electron from a free radical. That makes both molecules even.

In the absence of antioxidants, free radicals will go on war rage damaging the body leading to a host of disease.

When free radicals overwhelm antioxidant defense systems, cellular and molecular abnormalities occur. This ultimately leads to many diseases.

The Body's Amazing Nrf2

The major activator of your antioxidant and detoxification defenses

Your body has the ability to fight oxidants and free radicals. It's encoded directly into your DNA and more specifically your genes. These antioxidant and detoxification enzymes, however, need to be turned on in order to do their job. One of the proteins responsible for doing it is called Nrf2.

Nrf2 has been called the “master regulator” of the antioxidant response. Nrf2 is a transcription factor that regulates the expression of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory genes. The Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway is the cell's defense against oxidative stress and it is triggered when free radicals increase and/or when there is reduced antioxidant capacity.

Sulforaphane and curcumin can activate the Nrf2. Broccoli extract is a source of sulforaphane. Broccoli seed extract or glucoraphanin (also known as sulforaphane glucosinolate or SGS) can increase glutathione levels.

Green tea extract, trans-pterostilbene (the primary antioxidant in blueberries), and black pepper extract work together with broccoli extract and turmeric to activate the Nrf2 genetic pathway. Typical daily doses are: 60 to 120 mg of broccoli extract, 400 to 800 mg of turmeric extract, 400 to 800 mg of green tea extract, 100 to 200 mg of transpterostilbene, and 4 to 8 mg of black pepper extract.

The take home message in this instance is quite simple. Nrf2 is a potent modulator of antioxidant response and can rapidly target oxidative stressors. While Nrf2 responds to oxidative stress directly, certain key nutrients can improve this effect, the exact source of these nutrients varies widely but dark green and leafy vegetables (spinach, kale and broccoli, especially the seed extract), or reddy vegetables and spices (saffron, tumeric or paprika) are a particularly rich source. Importantly, these foods are also typically rich in direct antioxidants and display numerous other health benefits, so they are a great way to improve overall health.

PART 2 - Most Common Causes of Free Radical Damages and Signs/Symptoms

Article Written by: Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., DACBN, MS, CFMP. Compliments of functionalmedicineuniversity.com

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