How Oxygen Free Radicals Affect Aging - The Quality Of Life

Much has been written about the benefits of a balanced diet and regular exercise. We are getting used to the need to comply with these rules. But we must not forget that the human body is inexorably undermined by "internal enemies" - free oxygen radicals that contribute to aging. How does this relate to our lifestyle? Let's figure it out

“The only way to stay healthy is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you don’t want,” Mark Twain believed. Do you agree with the famous writer?

Toxicity as a warning

Every cell in our body needs oxygen, otherwise it will die. At the same time, some forms of oxygen are toxic to our cells and, according to scientists, they contribute to aging.

We never regret eating too little

Thomas Jefferson

Most of our interaction with oxygen takes place inside the mitochondria in our cells. Mitochondria work like small power plants, burning oxygen, fat, or sugar to produce energy that keeps cells alive. At one of the stages of this process, mitochondria bind oxygen and hydrogen atoms - this is how water is formed in the body.

Usually this chemical process goes well, but sometimes problems do occur. A side effect is the creation of free radicals.

A free radical is a molecule in which one or more atoms have lost an electron

Free radicals provoke oxidation processes in the body. The deterioration caused by the oxidation process is clearly visible as rust on an iron pipe or on a piece of apple or avocado left in the air.

Under certain conditions, oxidative reactions are beneficial for our health, for example, in the fight against disease-causing bacteria.

However, if the process gets out of control, toxic free radicals can damage proteins, cell membranes, and even DNA. Eventually, the damage becomes so extensive that cells cannot function normally, and aging processes are triggered

Free radicals and the harm they cause can also lead to malignant tumors, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, schizophrenia, certain muscle diseases, cataracts, deafness and VSD.

We must not forget that we are at risk of exposure to these molecules from the environment: as a result of solar radiation, industrial waste, cigarette smoke and other sources

Weekend activists: how not to join their ranks?

In the process of evolution, our body has developed complex chemical processes aimed at combating free radicals - the production and use of nutrients such as beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, and cellular enzymes are ensured.

However, with age, some of the natural mechanisms that work to counteract oxidation diminish.

Exercise can help compensate to some extent, but not all are equally beneficial.

Irregular intensive training of people with a sedentary lifestyle, the so-called "weekend activists", undermine these defense mechanisms. Such training does more harm than good.

There is only one way out - to create a systematic training program, and it is best to do it daily. The result will be less damage from free radicals, stronger defense and repair mechanisms

Moderate calorie intake and diet also help reduce the production of free radicals.

Evolution will tell you which exercises to choose

About two and a half million years ago, our ancestors were daily engaged in gathering and hunting, traveled long distances in search of new places of food. Evolution has led to the fact that the human body intensively burns energy.

Different types of physical activity stimulate different chemical processes in the body. When we perform activities like gathering or walking long distances, the body uses fat as fuel

Sprinting and reacting activities consume glucose.

However, if metabolism requires more fat than is stored, mitochondria begin to consume glucose in the same way as fat.

2 effective ways to fight free radicals

Exercise and good nutrition are two tools we have to prevent free radical damage that leads to aging.

Exercise can compensate for the damage by strengthening defense systems that resist oxidation.

Physical activity increases the efficiency of oxygen consumption and actively reduces the production of free radicals

And foods such as fruits, vegetables, green tea and dark chocolate are high in antioxidants.

Now you know how you can slow down the aging process and reduce the damage from free radicals.

More:

psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-art-and-science-aging-well/201805/how-free-radicals-oxygen-accelerate-our-aging