Anti-What? Breaking down Antioxidants
Antioxidants has been a buzz word for a while now. From foods to skincare products, antioxidants are widespread for us in and on our bodies! These little superhero molecules play an important role on a cellular level throughout our bodies. Before we begin to break down what antioxidants’ main functions are, and where to find them, it is important to know what they do.
If we break down the word itself the definition is a combination of two words: anti and oxidant. Anti, which means against or opposite to, and oxidant, which is a molecule that oxidizes. Great… but what does that even mean when it comes to pelvic health and our body?!
Oxidative damage can easily be seen in many ways all around us; an apple that is cut and left uncovered browns, burning fuel, or metal that rusts. This chemical process involves free radicals that cause damage on a molecular level. The scientific definition explains that free radicals are molecules that contain an unpaired electron in an atomic orbital. This unpaired election causes instability and high reactiveness of the molecule. Left to is own devices it will try to take an electron to pair with from another molecule, causing more free radicals. This is where antioxidants enter the scene; a molecule stable enough on its own to donate an electron to the free radicals to neutralize it. Antioxidants can inhibit and delay cellular damage, interrupting the chain reaction of free radical damage.
How does this relate to the body?
Free radical damage is part of the aging process, being the leading disruption to pathological changes in the body as it gets older. Oxidative stress, caused by environmental pollution, smoking exposure, sun exposure, alcohol, and stress, raises the number of free radicals in the body.
An example of this that can be easily seen in the body is the change in skin texture from sun damage, there is an increase in fine lines and wrinkles, and sunspots in the skin. An invisible sign of free radical damage in the body can found in many areas of the body; joints causing arthritis, brain damage linked to Alzheimer’s, arteries leading to heart disease, muscles, and connective tissues, including in the pelvic floor.
In the pelvic floor, this oxidative, free radical damage can look like organ prolapse, discomfort, and pain. This can be caused by a combination of mechanical stress (constipation, childbirth, straining, etc.) which can increase the amount of free radicals in the tissues, and an accumulation of oxidative stress from within the body. There is a way to combat this damage, this is where antioxidants come in!
Antioxidants come in a few different forms; vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, polyphenols, and endogenous antioxidants.
Vitamins: A, C, and E.
Food examples: spinach, sweet potatoes, avocados, kale.
Minerals: copper and zinc.
Food examples: oysters, dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, cashews.
Phytochemicals: produced by plants, found all plant foods, giving them their rich colours.
Food examples: broccoli, cabbage, leafy greens, berries.
Polyphenols: also found in plants, there are over 8,000 types of them, including lignans, flavonoids, and phenolic acid.
Food sources: green tea, wine, chocolate, olive oil, turmeric, berries
Endogenous antioxidants: produced by the body, under the right circumstances, to prevent and repair free radical damage.
Examples: glutathione, alpha-lipoic acid, coenzyme Q, melatonin, bilirubin.
There are many great plant sources of antioxidants that can also provide great fiber sources in your daily diet, which your pelvic floor will thank you for! Although it is impossible to avoid internal and external causes of free radical damage, as they are a byproduct of living, it is possible to support the body in repairing and preventing some of the damage that comes along with it. By including a variety of coloured fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, and some amazing flavours like turmeric and chocolate, you can help support your body with antioxidants.
References:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/oxidative-stress
