|  The
‘Exercise Paradox’: It’s the "Free Radicals"
man!
What you need to know to minimize the built-up of harmful exercise-induced
toxins that can lead to disease and premature aging.
By Del Millers, Ph.D.
You’ve no doubt heard the phrases used many times. But what
exactly are "free radicals," "oxidative stress"
and "antioxidants". These are the buzzwords of the new
vitamin supplement marketers designed to capture your attention.
And while you may be (and should be) skeptical about the validity
of the information you read from most supplement manufacturers,
you should also be aware that the above phrases are actual medical
terminology’s describing important processes in your body.
It is a scientific fact that exercise can increase oxygen utilization
from 10 to 20 times over your resting state. This greatly increases
the generation of "free radicals", which may enhance damage
to muscles and other vital tissues (oxidative stress). As an athlete
or active individual, how effectively can you defend against the
increased free radicals resulting from exercise? And what role should
"antioxidant" supplementation play in your daily nutrition
program?
What exactly are "free radicals?"
If you remember your basic high school chemistry you’ll remember
that atoms are the building blocks of all matter. An atom has a
nucleus, a set of positively charged particles called protons and
a set of negatively charged particles called electrons. Atoms come
together to form larger particles called molecules (i.e. a water
molecule, H2O has two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom joined
together by chemical bonds). Molecules form cells and cells form
tissues and organs.
A stable atom contains equal numbers of positively charged particles
(protons) and negatively charged particles (electrons). However,
your body naturally produces unstable atoms or molecules that are
missing an electron. These unstable molecules are what are known
as "free radicals." Once formed these highly reactive
radicals can start a chain reaction, like dominoes, damaging healthy
cells.
Free radicals can best be compared to the little hot sparks that
fly out of a wood burning fireplace. If these hot sparks land on
your carpet, they will burn the carpet. Likewise, free radicals
roam around your body and try to steal their missing electrons from
other stable molecules. In the process, they burn those cells that
they come in contact with. If free radicals interact with the cell
membrane of a stable cell this could lead to the inability of that
cell to absorb vital nutrients as well as loss of important cellular
enzymes. If these unstable radicals are able to damage the DNA of
a cell, this could lead to cancer, arthritis, premature aging, etc.
The role of "antioxidants"
To prevent free radical damage the body has a defense system of
antioxidants.
Antioxidants are molecules that can safely interact with free radicals
and terminate the chain reaction before vital molecules are damaged.
The most widely known micronutrient (vitamin) antioxidants are vitamin
E, beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, and vitamin C. The body cannot
manufacture these micronutrients so they must be supplied in the
diet.
Vitamin E: A fat soluble vitamin present in nuts,
seeds, leafy vegetables, fish oils, whole grains, wheat germ, fortified
cereals, and apricots. Current recommended daily allowance (RDA)
is 15 IU per day for men and 12 IU per day for women.
Vitamin C: A water soluble vitamin present in citrus fruits,
green peppers, cabbage, spinach, broccoli, kale, cantaloupe, kiwi,
and strawberries. The RDA is 60 mg per day. Intake above 2000 mg
may be associated with adverse side effects.
Beta-carotene (and other carotenoids including
alpha-carotene): which the body converts to vitamin A, can be found
in liver, egg yolk, milk, spinach, carrots, squash, broccoli, yams,
tomato, cantaloupe, peaches, and grains. It should be noted that
vitamin A has no antioxidant properties and can be quite toxic when
taken in excess (there is no RDA for vitamin A).
Exercise induced "Oxidative Stress"
When there is an abnormal build-up of free radicals in the body,
which can be caused by exercise, smoking, stress, environmental
pollutants and poor nutritional habits, the body can no longer maintain
the free radical/antioxidative equilibrium (antioxidative homeostasis).
Oxidative stress is the result of this imbalance between free radicals
and antioxidants, in favor of free radicals. It is the collective
damage caused to your cells, organs and tissues as a result of excessive
free radical activity in the body.
I mentioned before that exercise greatly increases the body’s
demand for energy. However, during this energy production cycle
oxygen molecules interact with water to produce hydrogen peroxide,
a known free radical.
This is what we call the "exercise paradox." Exercise
increases the production of free radicals by virtue of an increase
in oxygen utilization.
Over an extended period of time the disturbed "antioxidative
homeostasis" results in diseases and contributes to early aging.Can
antioxidant supplements prevent exercise-induced damage to your
cells and muscle tissue?
There is little doubt that antioxidants are a necessary component
for good health. However, using antioxidant supplements is an entirely
different story. These supplements were once thought to be harmless
but increasingly scientists are becoming aware of interactions and
potential toxicity.
In the normal concentrations found in the body, both vitamin C and
beta-carotene are antioxidants. However, at higher concentrations
they are "pro-oxidants" (lead to the formation of free
radicals) and, thus, harmful. Even more toxic to the body in larger
doses are the fat-soluble vitamins A and E. A Recent study published
in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that a study of
29,000 smokers in Finland was halted when it became clear that people
taking vitamin A and E supplements were at greater, not lesser risk
of suffering lung cancer.
The final word
It is a known fact that high intensity exercise, endurance events
and bodybuilding put enormous stress on the body. To meet this high
energy demand your body has to convert stored glucose and fat into
cellular energy. The natural bi-product of this energy metabolism
are unstable free radical molecules that can cause enormous damage
to the bodies cells, muscle tissue and even your DNA.
To reverse this process I would recommend that you
∑ Strengthen the bodies antioxidant system by eating at least
6-9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
∑ Consider a more balanced approach to exercise if you are
a weekend warrior, and pay close attention to your eating habits
during the week.
∑ Consider using a "whole food" supplement like
fruit and vegetable capsules. Whole foods not only feed your body
with the necessary antioxidants it needs they also provide several
other important groups of micronutrients called phytochemicals that
actually give vitamins their antioxidant properties. These important
plant chemicals are all missing from antioxidant supplements.
∑ Do not over supplement.
The bottomline is if you’re not eating your fruits and vegetables,
you may look fit, healthy and strong…but looks could be deceiving!
DID YOU KNOW:
Did you know that fruit and vegetable capsules
have been shown through clinical research to reduce the harful effects
of free radicals in the body in just 80 days? Get
more info...
— Del Millers, Ph.D. is a fitness and nutrition consultant
and author of three books. Visit his website at delmillers.com
to sign up for his e-mail nutrition newsletter.
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