The Role of Oxidative Stress

course syllabus for Your Well-Being online health and wellness education course

Course Outline

Main Ideas

Learning Objective

Understand the concept of oxidative stress and the role of antioxidants in mitigating its effects on the body.

Behavioral Objective

Adjust your diet to include a higher intake of antioxidant-rich foods and reduce exposure to environmental and dietary sources of oxidative stress.

Key Thought

Oxidative stress can be managed by enhancing the body's antioxidant defenses, emphasizing the importance of dietary choices in maintaining cellular health and preventing disease.

Main Ideas

Learning Objective

Understand the concept of oxidative stress and the role of antioxidants in mitigating its effects on the body.

Behavioral Objective

Adjust your diet to include a higher intake of antioxidant-rich foods and reduce exposure to environmental and dietary sources of oxidative stress.

Key Thought

Oxidative stress can be managed by enhancing the body's antioxidant defenses, emphasizing the importance of dietary choices in maintaining cellular health and preventing disease.

Terms

Antioxidant

noun

An enzyme or other organic substance, as vitamin E or beta carotene, that is capable of counteracting the damaging effects of oxidation in animal tissues.

Oxidative Stress

noun

A condition of increased oxidant production in animal cells characterized by the release of free radicals and resulting in cellular degeneration.

Reactive Oxygen Molecule

noun

Partially reduced, reactive molecules of oxygen.

Terms

Antioxidant

noun

An enzyme or other organic substance, as vitamin E or beta carotene, that is capable of counteracting the damaging effects of oxidation in animal tissues.

Oxidative Stress

noun

A condition of increased oxidant production in animal cells characterized by the release of free radicals and resulting in cellular degeneration.

Reactive Oxygen Molecule

noun

Partially reduced, reactive molecules of oxygen.

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Activities

Introduction

Oxidative stress is biological and chemical process that happens in our body, to every person on the planet. Thus, it is important to explain but is a little difficult to understand. So, let's paint a visual picture inside our head to explain oxidative stress.

Explaining Oxidative Stress Through a Visual Metaphor

Oxidative stress is a complex biological and chemical process that occurs in every person. To understand it better, imagine a scenario where two very different groups of people encounter a bee at a fancy outdoor wedding.

The Wedding Chaos Scenario

One group fears bees intensely, while the other is composed of nerdy scientists fascinated by bees. When a bee lands on a bee-phobic guest, chaos ensues: the guest's overreaction leads to disrupted decorations and a ruined wedding cake. Meanwhile, the scientists calmly capture the bee, excited to classify it.

Identifying the Culprit of Damage

If you were an outsider observing the chaos, you might initially blame the disruptive guest. However, the real instigator is the bee-or, more precisely, the inappropriate response to the bee. In our bodies, this scenario parallels an oxygen molecule that becomes a reactive oxygen species (ROS) when it gains an unwanted electron.

Just like the guest reacting to the bee, this ROS disrupts cellular function, leading to potential damage across a range of cell structures, such as DNA and cell membranes. Over time, this damage accumulates and contributes to aging and various diseases.

Antioxidants: The Nerdy Scientists of Our Bodies

Fortunately, our bodies are equipped with antioxidants, much like the bee-loving scientists at the wedding. These antioxidants help neutralize ROS, preventing them from causing cellular chaos.

Diet plays a crucial role in this process. Consuming a diet rich in antioxidants from fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains provides our bodies with the resources to combat oxidative stress effectively.

Managing Oxidative Stress

To manage oxidative stress effectively, it's essential to balance the 'guests' and 'scientists' within our bodies. This means reducing sources of oxidative stress and enhancing our antioxidant defenses through dietary choices and lifestyle changes.

Citations:

¹ Samoylenko, A., Hossain, J. A., Mennerich, D., Kellokumpu, S., Hiltunem, J. K., & Kietzmann, T. (2013, December). Nutritional countermeasures targeting reactive oxygen species in cancer: from mechanisms to biomarkers and clinical evidence. Antioxidants and Redox Signalling, 19(17). Retrieved March 27, 2014, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23458328

² Turrens, J F. "Mitochondrial formation of reactive oxygen species." Journal of Physiology 552 (2003). Web. 27 Mar. 2014. .

³ Spitale, R. C., Cheng, M. Y., Chun, K. A., Gorell, E. S., Munoz, C. A., Kern, D. G., & Wood, S. M. (2012, February). Differential effects of dietary supplements on metabolomic profile of smokers versus non-smokers. Genome Medicine, 4(2). doi:10.1186/gm313

Oxidative Stress : 2:10

Fight Oxidative Stress With Veggies!!!

Eat at least 2 servings of vegetables EVERY DAY to help your body battle oxidative stress.