Oxidative stress is stressful for cells. But it's no cause for concern: You can easily support your cellular balance by paying attention to a few things.
Table of contents
1. What is oxidative stress?
Oxidative stress occurs when our cells are exposed to certain oxygen reactions . The main causes of these reactions are so-called " free radicals ."
Free radicals, on the other hand, are atoms or molecules with at least one or more unpaired electrons . To achieve their biochemical goal, they must find other atoms or molecules with which to react [1].
Free radicals are essentially just intermediates in cellular metabolism . A problem only arises when they multiply too quickly and steal the reactants from other, less reactive molecules.
In this way, central metabolic processes are disrupted , while the imbalance in favor of radical compounds is further exacerbated. This quickly leads to adverse chain reactions , which are then referred to as oxidative stress.
2. Causes of oxidative stress
Oxidative stress can have many causes . These include environmental influences , strong sunlight , lack of sleep , or emotional stress . Given this perspective, it is naturally difficult to completely prevent the development of oxidative stress.
However, if you develop a feeling for which processes can negatively impact your body's oxidative balance, you can easily address the problem in a targeted manner.
The most well-known causes of oxidative stress include the following factors:
- Smoking, alcohol and drugs
- Nutritionally poor diet
- Excessive sugar consumption
- Physical stress
- Psychological stress
- Sleep deprivation diseases.
In addition, there are many environmental factors, some of which are quite everyday, that are often ignored in the discussion about free radicals:
- UV radiation
- Exhaust fumes and particulate matter
- Environmental toxins or chemicals such as pesticides, aggressive solvents or heavy metals
- passive smoking
- Ozone.
If you want to keep free radicals under control within your cellular metabolism, you should make sure to protect your body from excessive exposure to these things.
At the same time, however, there are also antioxidant substances that you can specifically consume through your diet in order to restore the oxidative balance of your cells.
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3. What you can do about it
First and foremost, you should make sure to avoid the causes of oxidative stress mentioned here, or at least reduce them as much as possible. However, if you have a very active daily routine and live in a large city with heavy traffic , this won't be so easy .
In this case, however, it's even more important that you supply your body with targeted antioxidants to help neutralize free radicals . You should make sure to eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and use high-quality vegetable oils when frying and preparing food.
Antioxidants are the perfect antagonists to free radicals : They bind to these reactive molecules and prevent them from attacking others. While the development of oxidative stress is often unavoidable , you can always find a healthy balance this way.
Top supporters in the fight against oxidative stress are the antioxidant vitamins C and E and the versatile trace element zinc .
But other nutrients such as selenium , manganese and copper as well as bioflavonoids or vitamin B12 also help your body to maintain oxidative balance [2].
In addition, you should, of course, ensure you get enough sleep and recovery time. Especially if you're trying to achieve a lot at work and have a very active daily routine, this can sometimes become stressful. That's perfectly fine, but you should keep in mind that a healthy, nutrient-rich diet and plenty of rest are especially important in this case.
Another cause of oxidative stress that deserves closer scrutiny is excessive exercise. While there's nothing wrong with a tough workout, excessively long and intense training sessions can also lead to oxidative stress.
So, if you exercise a lot , you should also pay particular attention to your nutrient balance and sleep patterns. In addition to a healthy, vitamin-rich diet, you can also practice various relaxation exercises to avoid oxidative stress caused by emotional stress .
Breathing exercises or quiet sports and moving meditations such as Yin Yoga, Tai Chi or Chi Gong are also well suited in this context.
In addition, a simple 10-minute meditation, progressive muscle relaxation or even autogenic training can have very good effects in relation to stress.
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4. How harmful is oxidative stress really?
When it comes to oxidative stress, as with almost everything in life, the key is to maintain balance: although a long-term imbalance between oxidative and antioxidant processes can be harmful, you do n't really have to worry if you have a balanced lifestyle .
Furthermore, oxidative stress is n't inherently bad . Nitrosative stress, for example, is also a form of oxidative stress . It is caused by nitrogen radicals that specifically bind to enzymes in the respiratory chain. This creates an energy deficit that can only be compensated for by mobilizing the mitochondria, the body's cellular powerhouses.
A positive consequence of this process is programmed cell death , known as " apoptosis ." It originally served to kill pathological cancer cells . In addition, there is also the so-called "oxidative burst" or "respiratory burst," which leads to the destruction of pathogenic microorganisms [3].
Certain types of oxidative or nitrosative stress can certainly have beneficial effects on our organism. However, a long-term imbalance caused by unhealthy influences should always be avoided.
5. Conclusion
Oxidative stress occurs when cells become imbalanced. Free radicals are the cause of this imbalance. Without a counterbalance, their high reactivity often leads to unwanted chain reactions that can impair cellular metabolism.
To avoid negative consequences such as premature skin aging or energy deficits, you should ensure you get plenty of rest and eat a healthy diet rich in antioxidant nutrients. Targeted relaxation and limiting unhealthy habits can also be very helpful.
Although oxidative stress is a condition that should largely be avoided, free radicals are not necessarily always bad. The "oxidative burst" can help kill unwanted microorganisms. Nitrosative stress can even lead to cell death and thus to the necessary neutralization of cancer cells.
6. Sources
[1] Pizzinom G.; Irrera, N.; [...]; Bitto, A. (2017), Oxidative Stress: Harms and Benefits for Human Health, Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, published online: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/omcl/2017/8416763/.
[2] Lobo, V.; Patil A.; Chandra, N. (2010), Free radicals, antioxidants and functional foods: Impact on human health, Pharmacognosy Review, volume 4, Issue 8, p. 118-126, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3249911/.
[3] Slauch, JM (2012), How does the oxidative burst of macrophages kill bacteria? Still an open question, Volume 80, Issue 3, p. 580-583, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2958.2011.07612.x.
