WHAT IS OXIDATIVE STRESS AND HOW CAN YOU REDUCE IT?

According to the National Institute of Health, oxidative stress is defined as an imbalance "between the production of reactive oxygen species (free radicals) and antioxidant defenses." What does that mean to those of us without scientific or medical backgrounds? It's caused by a buildup of oxidized cells. When Oxidants exceed Antioxidants, it leads to a reduction of Redox signaling, control and molecular damage. So, to make it even easier to understand, it's a fire in our body that needs to be put out!

What creates oxidative stress in our body? We all produce some free radicals naturally by exercising and through inflammation. This is a normal "cleansing" process for our body to stay healthy.

Contributing factors may include:

• alcohol consumption
• industrial chemicals
• cleaning products and pesticides
• ozone
• sun exposure
• cigarette smoke
• radiation
• pollution
• obesity
• medications

Health issues related to oxidative stress:

• diabetes
• cardiovascular disease
• arthritis
• high blood pressure
• Alzheimer's
• Parkinson's
• cancer
• inflammatory diseases

Ways to reduce oxidative stress:

• Increase the amount of antioxidant-rich foods you eat everyday such as fresh berries, dark leafy greens, citrus fruits, carrots, broccoli, tomatoes and limit your intake of saturated fats.
• Lower your stress levels. If you’re chronically stressed, you may also have higher levels of oxidative stress in your body. Try finding time to relax or consider starting a meditation routine to ease emotional stress.
• Protect your skin. While sunlight is an important source of vitamin D, sun exposure is another cause of oxidative stress. Regularly wearing sunscreen helps protect your skin from sun damage.
• Regular moderate exercise is helpful for preventing oxidative stress and beneficial for health in general. But be aware that too much exercise can lead to an increase in oxidative stress.
• Get enough sleep. Getting a solid amount of sleep is crucial for your health.
• Don't smoke and avoid secondhand smoke also.
• Reduce your alcohol consumption.
• Use a Redox Signaling Molecule supplement

We live and die at the cellular level. Our bodies are programmed for health; programmed to protect, repair, and replace our cells. But our bodies ability to do that diminishes over time. We call that "Aging."

The key to protecting, repairing, and replacing cells is a specialized set of molecules known as Redox signaling molecules. Your own body produces them, every minute of every day. But as we get older, our bodies get less efficient at the process. In fact, while very young children operate at almost 100% efficiency in what scientists call “the healing response,” a 70-year-old is operating at only 10% efficiency. That’s simply aging. A reduction in efficiency in the healing response.

When there's an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in your body, it creates oxidative stress which can cause many health issues. It's your choice to make changes to your way of living to include exercise, diet, and your immediate environment.

For more information on redox molecules and oxidative stress I recommend the following websites: pubmed.gov and scholar.google.com.

If you find this information helpful, please feel free to share it and comment! Thanks for your time and connection!