Protection against Oxidative Stress

Protection against oxidative stress means that the body can no longer adequately absorb the harmful free radicals. Oxidative stress is a term that is increasingly mentioned but rarely explained. Oxidative stress generally occurs when too many free radicals are formed, for the degradation of which there are not enough antioxidants available. However, stress and other external factors can lead to the formation of additional free radicals.

If too many of these free radicals are circulating, they react arbitrarily with other body cells and destroy them in an oxidative reaction.

Oxidative stress – the secret pathogen?

People suffering from oxidative stress also often suffer from symptoms such as exhaustion or a lack of memory and more frequently from inflammation. In addition, oxidative stress also promotes a number of diseases. Studies prove the connection between oxidative stress and the onset of Parkinson’s disease, but also other neurodegenerative diseases. Since oxidative stress is also regarded as a precursor of plaque formation in the vessels, it is also considered a contributory cause of certain cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary heart disease or arteriosclerosis.

Avoid oxidative stress

In addition to measures such as stopping smoking and active stress reduction in everyday life, a healthy, balanced diet can help to restore a healthy balance, the so-called „oxidative homeostasis“. An unbalanced diet with too much protein or short chain carbohydrates, but also industrially produced foods, promote the development of oxidative stress. Industrial foodstuffs in particular, which are designed for shelf-life, are saturated, but hardly provide enough micronutrients or antioxidants, since some of these are lost during the production process and long storage periods.

Oxidative Recovery

Your body receives important support for the reduction of free radicals and oxidative stress from micronutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene or zinc. Coenzyme Q10 has also been shown to be extremely effective, as it seems it can not only reduce free radicals, but also help repair the cells. However, many of these essential antioxidants cannot be synthesized by the human organism to meet its needs – they must be supplied through nutrition or dietary supplements. Especially fresh vegetables and fruits contain many different antioxidants and are therefore suppliers of antioxidants and other vital substances.

Therefore, always make sure to use fresh, untreated foodstuffs, as antioxidants can be partially destroyed by sprays and other modern food processing methods. We have compiled a crisp overview of the various antioxidants and in which foods they occur.