What is Oxidative Stress?
Oxidative stress is the process of damage to your cells that occur over the years of your life through the process of making energy. It’s an imbalance in the production of free radicals versus the ability of the body to combat the negative effects by neutralizing them with antioxidants.
Oxidation is a scientific term that refers to the removal of electrons from an atom. All of your cells consist of molecules which contain electrons. Electrons can be captured from another atom which needs another electron to stabilize itself.
This process can lead to tissue damage similar to what happens when you cut an apple open and leave it out for a while. In our bodies, this oxidation process is believed to be responsible for over 200 different disease processes.
The mitochondria in your cells produce energy in the form of ATP. ATP stands for Adenosine triphosphate. It’s a nucleotide molecule that is known as the “molecular currency” of the transfer of energy in our cells.
The process produces a byproduct called “free radicals,” which are toxic molecules that will damage any part of the cell that they contact. As we age we have a cumulative build-up of free radical damage to our cells.
That damage is what we call oxidative stress and the cumulative effect is what leads to the aging process and many of the health conditions associated with aging.
Historically, many people have tried to offset this process by taking antioxidant vitamins such as C, and E, and Beta carotene. Unfortunately, those are quite weak in neutralizing free radicals because they do it in a one-to-one fashion.
On the other hand, the enzymes that your own cells produce such as Superoxide dismutase and Catalase can neutralize up to a million free radical molecules. It’s a totally different game altogether.
The NRF2 pathway is what activates the production of these antioxidant enzymes that are significantly more potent at neutralizing the free radicals and therefore reducing the oxidative stress.
Your body has defense systems to avoid tissue damage. Some examples are physical barriers to hold back free radicals, enzymes that can neutralize oxygen, antioxidants capable of donating electrons where some are missing, and mechanisms that can repair any damage caused by free radicals.
When the damage overwhelms your body’s ability to cope, the result is oxidative stress!
Your defenses are down when you feel physical, mental, or emotional stress. Here’s a list of some symptoms:
- Fatigue
- Brain Fog
- Muscle and joint pain
- Wrinkles
- Grey Hair
- Decreased Eyesight
- Headaches
- Sensitivity to Noise
- Susceptibility to Infections
If untreated, oxidative stress can lead to problems that are much worse.
How Can You Stop Oxidative Stress?
- First, you can take steps to avoid too much physical, emotional, or mental stress.
- Avoid processed foods and toxins, chemicals, and air pollution.
- Wash your hands to avoid infections during cold and flu season.
Reduce stress by improving sleep, deep breathing, meditation, and exercise.
Boost your internal defense system in your cells.
The best way I’ve found to do that is by using a synergistic product developed by an American biochemist called, Dr. Joe McCord, who helped develop a product called, Protandim.
Protandim is an all-natural, plant-based supplement that contains 5 ingredients; green tea, turmeric, milk thistle, ashwagandha, and bacopa. Peer-reviewed research has revealed that these 5 ingredients together have a tremendous synergistic effect. Each individual ingredient does very little to activate antioxidant genes.
However, when you combine the 5 ingredients, the effect is multiplied 18 times. This is profoundly significant. It’s the synergistic effect that gives Protandim its power.
In the original study, a human clinical trial showed a 40% reduction in oxidative stress within 30 days in 100% of those who took Protandim. I’m unaware of any other product on the market, be it drug or supplement, that can produce that effect.
My personal experience has been a reduction of stress, better sleep, weight-loss, a 100% reduction in an eczema condition, improved focus, and even improved eyesight.
As of the writing of this article, there are 26 peer-reviewed, scientific studies that you can read at pubmed.gov.
For example; the American Heart Association has published studies about Protandim. That’s very impressive.
Also, the National Institute on Aging in 2016, studied whether there were any products that could viably extend the life or healthspan of individuals. The only, all-natural product that was able to do that was Protandim. It extended the life span of male mice by 7%, and that is with them underdosing the mice in the first half of the study.
A third example is that Colorado State University in 2018, looked at the effect of exercise and antioxidant therapy had on muscle development, protein synthesis, and mitochondrial biogenesis.
It compared the effects of vitamin C to Protandim to see what benefits were for those who exercise. The results indicated that vitamin C blunted the effects of the initial exercise on muscle and protein synthesis as well as mitochondrial biogenesis. However, Protandim actually enhanced the effect of exercise. It appears that taking vitamin C for exercise could actually cause harm.
Oxidative stress only gets worse with age. Conventional remedies such as basic supplements and dietary changes are no match. However, Protandim shows tremendous promise as a solution to the damages caused by oxidative stress. To learn more, click here.
Resources:
Betteridge DJ. (2000) What is oxidative stress?https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10693912
Maritim AC, et al. (2003). Diabetes, oxidative stress, and antioxidants: A review. DOI: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jbt.10058
Poljsak B. (2011). Strategies for reducing or preventing the generation of oxidative stress. DOI: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/omcl/2011/194586/
Sies H. (2015) Oxidative Stress: a concept in redox biology and medicine. DOI:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213231715000038?via%3Dihub
Yoshikawa T, et al. (2002). What is oxidative stress?
John Mason
