Mini Lesson: Antioxidants

Video Transcript

The Importance of Structure

To maintain proper metabolic function in our body, it is imperative that the various chemical structures we refer to as hormones, neurotransmitters, nucleotides, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and many other chemicals, are structured properly so that the body's enzymes are able to recognize and appropriately utilize these compounds. Damaged or misshapen chemical structures may be less effective or even completely ineffective, depending on the purposes that they serve in the body.

Oxidation

Oxidation is a chemical process that steals electrons from a molecule, which changes its chemical structure and how it will function in the body. Not only that, but many molecules, once oxidized, will seek after and steal electrons from the molecules around them, which causes a cascade of damage which can interrupt metabolic function.

You might think of oxidation kind of like those old zombie movies where a zombie will bite a person, which reprograms their brain and turns them into a zombie, causing them to search after and bite other people, which turns them into zombies. But rather than calling these oxidized molecules zombie molecules, we refer to them as free radicals.

So when we are dealing with oxidation in the body, it's not simply a matter of one oxidized free radical causing one change, but rather one free radical that can trigger a domino effect that creates many different free radicals, potentially disrupting normal bodily functions..especially if we have lots of different oxidizing free radicals triggering this process all over our body.

Oxidation's Impact on the Body

When this cascading effect of oxidation is running rampant throughout the body, the damage to cell membranes, signaling molecules, and even our DNA can cause issues ranging from skin damage and the formation of wrinkles to the inflammation causing joint pain or the build up of plaques in our arteries that can cause strokes or heart attacks.

Role of Antioxidants

As awful as this sounds, oxidation is actually a normal and expected part of metabolism. Because there are certain normal metabolic functions that produce these oxidized free radicals, the body is designed to create antioxidant enzymes that manage this process and keep it from cascading beyond the molecules that are expected to be oxidized, then neutralized. The problems I mentioned earlier are the result of excessive oxidation that has spread beyond the body's capacity to manage.

There can be a few different reasons why oxidation may be unmanageable in the body, which can generally be categorized as one of two problems: the first being an excess amount of oxidized free radicals, or the second being insufficient antioxidant action.

Excessive Oxidation

In addition to the normal production of oxidized free radicals, there are several factors that will increase the amount of free radicals in our body. This can range from environmental factors like air pollution, toxins, and radiation, to lifestyle factors such as smoking, drinking alcohol, eating ultra processed foods, and stress. There are even certain factors that may be helpful in certain quantities, but can be oxidizing in excess, like certain medications or over-exercising.

Insufficient Antioxidants

The other problem that can result in excess free radicals roaming the body is not having enough antioxidants available to neutralize the free radicals and keep them from triggering more damage. This could result from insufficient production of our antioxidant enzymes, or not having enough of the supportive nutrients that our antioxidant enzymes need in order to function and neutralize those free radicals.

Reducing Oxidative Damage

This means that we can address potential oxidative damage and the resulting effects on our health in two ways. The first is to reduce oxidative potential by limiting or eliminating oxidizing factors--making changes to our lifestyle or cleaning up our environment as much as possible to reduce the number of free radicals that are being introduced into our body through these factors.

Of course, we can't exactly control everything in our environment or everything that we will be exposed to, so the other way to reduce potential oxidative damage is to support our body's antioxidant capacity. Prioritizing minimally processed foods in our diet not only eliminates many potential triggers for oxidation, but also provides a variety of antioxidant nutrients including zinc, selenium, vitamin C, vitamin E, phytonutrients, and many others that help to support our body's ability to neutralize the effects of free radicals in our body.