Oxidative stress is stress for the cells. But don't worry: you can easily support your cell balance by observing a few things.

1. WHAT IS OXIDATIVE STRESS?

Oxidative stress arises when our cells are exposed to certain oxygen reactions . The main cause of these reactions are the so-called " free radicals ".

Free radicals are atoms or molecules with at least one or more unpaired electrons . To achieve their biochemical goal, they have to find additional atoms or molecules with which they can react [1].

Free radicals are basically just intermediates in cell metabolism . A problem only arises when they multiply too quickly and thus steal their reaction partners from the other less reactive molecules.

In this way, on the one hand, central metabolic processes are interrupted and, on the other hand, the imbalance is further strengthened in favor of radical compounds. This quickly leads to unfavorable chain reactions , which are then called oxidative stress. Anyways, in current circumstance Covid-19, we should must fulfill the SOPs to remain save and use ppe prodcuts.

2. CAUSES OF OXIDATIVE STRESS

Oxidative stress can have many causes . Among other things, this even includes environmental influences , strong sunlight , too little sleep or emotional stress . From this perspective, it is of course difficult to completely prevent the development of oxidative stress.

But if you develop a feeling for which processes can have a negative effect on the oxidative balance of your body, you can simply tackle the problem in a very targeted manner.

The best known causes of oxidative stress include the following factors:

Smoking, alcohol and drugs

Low-nutrient diet

Excessive sugar consumption

Physical stress

Psychological stress

Lack of sleep diseases.

In addition, there are many, in some cases quite everyday, environmental factors that are often ignored in the discussion about free radicals:

UV radiation

Exhaust gases and fine dust

Environmental toxins or chemicals such as pesticides, aggressive solvents or heavy metals

passive smoking

Ozone.

If you want to keep free radicals under control in your cell metabolism, you should take care to protect your body from excessive contact with these things.

At the same time, however, there are also antioxidant substances that you can specifically include in your diet to restore the oxidative balance of your cells.

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3. WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT

First and foremost, you should make sure to avoid or at least reduce the causes of oxidative stress mentioned here . If you have a very active everyday life and live in a big city with a lot of traffic , it will of course not be that easy .

In this case, however, it is more important that you your body zuführst targeted antioxidant substances to him by the neutralization of free radicals to help . So you should make sure to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and use high-quality vegetable oils when roasting and preparing food .

Antioxidants are the perfect antagonist to free radicals : they bind to the reactive molecules and thus prevent them from using others. Even if the development of oxidative stress can often not be avoided , you can always find a healthy balance in this way .

The top supporters in the fight against oxidative stress are above all the antioxidative vitamins C , E and the versatile trace element zinc .

But other nutrients such as selenium , manganese and copper as well as bioflavonoids or vitamin B12 also help your body to remain oxidatively balanced [2].

In addition, you should of course also ensure adequate sleep and regeneration. Especially if you want to achieve a lot professionally and have a very active everyday life, it can be stressful. This is completely okay, but you should keep in mind that a healthy diet rich in vital substances and a lot of rest are particularly important in this case.

One reason for the development of oxidative stress, which you should also take a closer look at, is excessive sport. Although there is nothing wrong with a hard workout, long and intensive training sessions can also lead to oxidative stress.

So if you do a lot of sport , you should also pay particular attention to your nutrient balance and your sleep rhythm . In addition to a healthy diet rich in vitamins, you can also various relaxation exercises  use to oxidative stress caused by emotional stress to avoid .

Breathing exercises or calm sports and moving meditations such as Yin Yoga, Tai Chi or Chi Gong are also well suited in this context .

In addition, a simple 10-minute meditation, progressive muscle relaxation or even autogenic training in connection with stress can achieve very good effects. 

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4. HOW HARMFUL IS OXIDATIVE STRESS REALLY?

In oxidative stress the motto of balance applies as with almost all things in life: Although a long-term imbalance between oxidant and antioxidant processes can be quite harmful, you need to you with a balanced lifestyle basically worry .

In addition, oxidative stress so not bad per se . The nitrosative stress about is also a form of oxidative stress . It is created by nitrogen radicals that specifically bind enzymes from the respiratory chain. Thus, they generate an energy deficit that can only be compensated for by mobilizing the mitochondria, i.e. the body's own cell power plants.

A positive consequence of this process is the programmed cell death , the so-called " apoptosis ". It was originally used to kill pathological cancer cells . In addition, there is also the so-called “oxidative burst” or “respiratory burst”, which leads to the destruction of pathogenic microorganisms [3].

Certain types of oxidative or nitrosative stress can also have added value for our organism. A long-term imbalance caused by unhealthy influences should always be avoided.

5. CONCLUSION

Oxidative stress arises when the cells become out of balance. Free radicals are the cause of such an imbalance. Their high reactivity often leads to unwanted chain reactions without counterweight, which can impair cell metabolism.

In order to avoid negative consequences such as premature skin aging or energy deficits, you should pay attention to a lot of rest and a healthy diet based on antioxidant nutrients. Targeted relaxation and the restriction of unhealthy habits can also be very helpful.

Although oxidative stress is a condition that should be largely avoided, free radicals aren't always bad. The “oxidative burst” can help to kill unwanted microorganisms. The nitrosative stress can even lead to cell death and the necessary neutralization of cancer cells