OXIDATIVE STRESS AND FREE RADICALS

What is oxidative stress?

Our body can be compared to a huge factory that has complex mechanisms. It has nutrition producing plant, filtration plant and even sewage plant to throw out wastes. It has a heart pumping all the time and has Air conditioning plant in the form of lungs, a cooling plant in the form of liver and nuclear reactor, telephone exchange in the form of our brain. Body is made up of millions of cells which have atoms in it.

Each atom has protons, neutrons in the centre and electrons revolve around them in orbits around the centre. Electrons are always in pair under normal conditions. In case of abnormalities which occur due to various reasons, an electron may escape from the pair and the remaining specie is called free radical. Free radicals, by their nature are highly reactive and unstable. But it will definitely try to become stable. The only way it can become stable is to take away another electron from his neighbor. Now the neighbor by losing its electron to the other becomes unstable and acquires the title "FREE RADICAL". This process goes on and attains high speed which means more and more free radicals and formed. These are capable of attacking fatty acids and proteins in the cell membranes. It can even damage the DNA thus altering functions of the cells. Various forms of diseases are caused due to this kind of free radicals.


Reasons for oxidative stress and resultant free radicals:

1) Active and also passive smoking

2) Alcoholism

3) Various forms of pollutions, especially air pollution.

4) Lifestyle factors like junk food, chemical fertilizers and pesticides induced food materials.


Diseases that are caused by oxidative stress:

AIDS, Alzheimer, Arthritis, Cancer, Diabetes, Digestive disorders, Heart diseases, Parkinson's disease etc. are caused by oxidative stress.

How to prevent formation of oxidative stress:

Avoiding bad habits, staying far away from smokers, avoiding sun rays in mid afternoon, keeping away from polluted atmosphere as far as possible, consumption of only organically grown food, breathing exercises, yoga, meditation and keeping a healthy happy mind can make us safe from formation of free radicals.

Tags & Keywords : Electron loss, cell damage,modern diseases