What is oxidative stress?
There is considerable literature that indicates that the excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) leads to oxidative stress and the oxidation of biological macromolecules. Oxidative stress is defined as an increase in ROS and/or a decrease in the antioxidant defence mechanisms. Endogenous antioxidants include glutathione peroxidase and CuZn superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD). Oxidative stress is an important contributory factor to the etiology of many cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, diabetes, heart failure, and hypertension. An important target for ROS in the pathological cascade is the endothelium, and endothelial dysfunction is increasingly being recognized as an important indicator of the health of the cardiovascular system (Dusting and Macdonald 1995; Cai and Harrison 2000; Verma and Anderson 2002; Triggle et al 2003). It has been said, “a man is only as old as his endothelium” (Ding and Triggle 2005, p 57).
(back to top) Oxidative stress occurs in your body when there are not enough antioxidants to counter the effects of damaging free radicals. Free radicals cause damage to all cellular components, including proteins, lipids, and DNAthe blueprint to cell proliferation. Oxidative stress has been implicated in the aging process and numerous health-related issues. What causes excess free radicals?(back to top) Tobacco smoke, alcohol, pollution, insecticides, radiation, chemicals in the home or at work, and excessive amounts of sunlight are all prolific contributors to the formation of free radicals. Other causes include a high-fat diet, stress, insufficient sleep, and strenuous exercise. How well does freeze-dried acai scavenge other free radicals such as peroxynitrite (NORAC), hydroxyl (HORAC), and superoxide anion (SORAC)?(back to top) The MonaVie juice blend is a very powerful antioxidant against these additional free radicals; in fact, the SORAC assay score of 1,614 unit/g represents the
Oxidative stress comes from environmental exposure to air pollution, ultraviolet light and tobacco smoke, as well as from natural body functions such as food digestion and cell respiration. Oxidative stress also occurs when we are sick, fighting an infection, have muscle inflammation or when we are healing from an injury. This oxidative stress is caused by free radicals and singlet oxygen, which can result in damage to the body by interacting with normal cells to change their chemical structure.
