In all living organisms, including Humans, there is a delicate equilibrium between the oxidation caused by reactive species (RS, also called free radicals) and the antioxidant defense. The breaking of this balance is the cause of a condition known as “oxidative stress” (OS), which may induce a cellular damage, leading ultimately, over time, to early aging and to many many diseases.
So, you may ask, what is Oxidative Stress?
Oxidative stress (OS) is a pathological condition due to an abnormal increase of reactive species (RS, also called free radicals), and by a concomitant reduction of antioxidant defenses against free radicals. Meaning that, there should be an increase of your Free Radicals and a reduction of your Antioxidants to be in the state of Oxidative Stress.
The figure below explains the process and the damages that is caused by being in the state of Oxidative Stress.
Figure 1. Designed by Dr. B Kassim (source of information: H&D)
As presented in the figure above, there are so many causes of the condition. Many of these causes, we live with every day and some are imposed on us. On the left hand side on the second row of Fig. 1, are the situations that may increase our Free Radicals, “the bad habits” as I call them and on the right hand side on the same row, are the conditions that may decrease our Antioxidants, “our defense system” as I call them.
If those habits persist long enough, we will find ourselves in trouble, meaning that our cells, which are the foundation of our whole body functions, would start to damage as a result of these bad habits. If these habits are not corrected quickly enough, our tissues would then get damaged, followed by our organs, then our systems. It only gets to that point if the problems are ignored and not corrected on time.
These systemic damages would then reflect as diseases, which is when some of the your Doctors can can diagnose you when you visit them because you start to feel unwell. Before this stage, it is very difficult to make diagnosis with our current laboratory investigation equipments. It is better to know your Oxidative Stress status as early as possible to allow you to take the necessary measures to reverse it. More about testing in my future posts.
Interestingly, the problem with diagnosis is changing as Oxidative Stress is being recognized as playing an important role in most if not all of the chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). It is important to note that Oxidative Stress is linked to the causes of more than one hundred and fifty (150) diseases.
At the Esbecan Medical Centre we can test you, tell you about your status and give recommendations to improve your condition.
That is preventative medicine at its best.
I welcome your comments and contributions.
