What is it?
Oxidative stress can be defined as an imbalance between oxidizing and antioxidant molecules in favor of oxidants, leading to an interruption of redox signaling and control and/or molecular damage.
What is oxidative stress for?
The human body naturally has oxidizing factors and anti-oxidant factors, which may even come from the diet. Both are important for the proper functioning of the body when in balance. Oxidative stress is precisely the debalance of this equation, overhanging the side of oxidants and may cause cellular and molecular damage due to excessive formation of free radicals.
How does oxidative stress work?
The excess of reactive o2 species can aggravate several events, such as premature aging, mutations, cancer, atherosclerosis, various organ lesions, dementia syndrome, post-transplant renal dysfunction, rheumatoid arthritis, transfusion hemochromatosis, autoimmune diseases, among others. It is important to remember that these events will only occur if the efficiency of the antioxidant system cannot overcome oxidative phenomena. Therefore, it is important to strengthen the antioxidant defense of the body, and the diet can aid in this.
Supplementation and diet
One of the diets best known for its antioxidant potential is the Mediterranean Diet (DM), which is rich in anti-inflammatory compounds and antioxidant properties. The diet is rich in fruits and vegetables, which are a great source of antioxidants, as well as the spices included in it, such as curcumin. Coffee consumption is also interesting, as it has substances such as polyphenols, as well as oilseeds that also have an important antioxidant role.
Patients with vitamin C deficiency may consider supplementation, as it is able to modulate severe oxidative stress, especially in diseases such as severe sepsis, trauma, and reperfusion after ischemia.
References
Article: Gantenbein KV, Kanaka-Gantenbein C. Mediterranean Diet as an Antioxidant: The Impact on Metabolic Health and Overall Wellbeing. Nutrients. 2021 Jun 6;13(6):1951. doi: 10.3390/nu13061951. PMID: 34204057; PMCID: PMC8227318.
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