Symptoms

Since oxidative stress per se does not represent a disease pattern of its own, no clear symptoms can be assigned to it. Rather, oxidative stress presents itself as a risk factor for many other diseases. These include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, but also cancer.

It is also assumed that oxidative stress plays a decisive role in the aging process. So it should be mentioned again that oxidative stress is basically present in every human being. It only becomes problematic when a certain level is exceeded.

Although oxidative stress itself leads to damage in the cell, for example to its outer fat layer, the main effect of oxidative stress is a reduction of protective and repair systems in the cell. This is also the case in the skin.Thus damage caused by external factors, such as UV radiation, can be compensated for more and more poorly, which ultimately leads to faster aging of the skin. Signs of this are an increasingly thinner epidermis, a loss of flexibility, drier skin, as well as a significantly longer regeneration time of the skin in case of injuries.

TreatmentTherapy

Since oxidative stress is based on a shift in the balance in favor of the oxidative system, in the sense of an increased concentration of reactive oxygen compounds, a therapy should be based on strengthening its opponents. These belong to the reducing system, but are often referred to simply as antioxidants to illustrate their role as antagonists to ROS. The most important antioxidants are vitamins A, C, E and the trace elements zinc and selenium.

Their role as protectors against oxidative stress has been proven in numerous studies. It remains unclear, however, whether a supplementary intake of these vitamins and zinc actually leads to better protection against oxidative stress. What is clear is that people who lead a healthy lifestyle that includes a balanced diet and exercise do not need to rely on the additional intake of antioxidants.

Therefore, before taking any dietary supplements, they should first check their own lifestyle. In principle, the statement that sport can have a protective effect against oxidative stress is to be agreed. However, there is a clear dependence on the intensity of the sport practised.

Organs with a high energy turnover through cellular respiration, such as the heart, liver and muscles, tend to produce reactive oxygen compounds during physical activity. However, these organs also have the inherent ability to permanently increase their own protective functions against oxidative stress as a result of sporting activity in order to compensate for the oxidative stress that occurs. Thus, it is generally possible to increase the protective systems against oxidative stress through sporting activity.

This only becomes critical if sport is practiced very intensively, since the organs can then only partially compensate for the oxygen compounds produced and even increased oxidative stress can occur. Thus, the protective effect of sport is always a question of the level of physical activity. To avoid oxidative stress, there should always be enough antioxidants in the body to prevent it.

As already mentioned, vitamins A, C and E, as well as the trace elements selenium and zinc are among the most important representatives of this group. A diet aimed at avoiding oxidative stress should therefore contain plenty of these substances. In most cases, however, this can be achieved by sufficient consumption of vegetables and fruit and no additional vitamin preparations need to be taken.

Should this wish nevertheless exist, this should be done in consultation with a doctor, as an overdose of vitamins can cause serious side effects. The consumption of food with a high sugar and fat content is not only suspected to contain little antioxidants, but also to promote the development of reactive oxygen compounds. Therefore, oxidative stress can be influenced very well by a healthy diet, even without taking additional supplements.