The Importance of Antioxidants: Combating Oxidative Stress

We are willing to bet you’ve heard of the importance of antioxidants and the wonders they can do, but have you ever considered what they’re actually doing for you?

Well, antioxidants play a crucial role in combating oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is a physiological condition where there is an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), and the body's ability to detoxify these reactive intermediates or repair the resulting damage. Though these are naturally produced during cellular processes like aerobic respiration and by the immune system to combat infections, an over-accumulation can overwhelm the body's natural defenses.

Oxidative stress can occur due to a variety of factors including external sources like UV radiation, smoking, alcohol consumption, use of NSAIDs, chronic infections, and inflammation. When the body cannot efficiently neutralize or eliminate these radicals due to inadequate antioxidant defenses or overproduction of ROS/RNS, oxidative stress occurs. This imbalance can lead to cellular damage, affecting lipids, proteins, and DNA, and is associated with various diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, dementia, and autoimmune disorders.

While this sounds scary, there is good news - we can fight oxidative stress with Antioxidants! Antioxidants help mitigate the harmful effects of oxidative stress by neutralizing ROS/RNS. They act by donating electrons to these unstable molecules, stabilizing them without becoming reactive themselves. This property helps prevent the radicals from damaging essential cellular components. Antioxidants can be endogenous (produced by the body) or exogenous (obtained from the diet or supplements). 
Common sources of antioxidants include fruits, vegetables, green tea, red wine, and supplements containing essential nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin E, β-carotene, selenium, and polyphenols. 

Including a variety of antioxidants in the diet can help neutralize these reactive species, thereby preventing cellular damage and reducing the risk of many chronic diseases. 

Interested in learning more about which foods to include for an antioxidant rich diet? Stay tuned for our next post on Instagram highlighting our favorite antioxidant filled Summer foods!

You can follow us here: @x3health