I'm in holiday mood right now, enjoying my vacation, away from all the hectic environment, from work, from the crowds and of course, from stress. In this post, I would like to write about the affects of oxidative stress and inflammation, from consumption of sugar, especially fructose. You might be thinking, how could sugar causes inflammation and oxidative stress in the body? Well, let's find out.
As you might already realized, people, including you, eat too much, especially when they feel stressed out. They tend to go for either high fat or high sugar comfort foods. The act of processing sugar, which includes fructose, is very taxing for cells, leaving them exhausted and sick. When cells are sapped of energy, they can't function properly.
Now, let's talk about inflammation. When you consumed a large amount of fructose, the tissues in your body becomes inflamed ( I mentioned in last post, remember?). You don't develop immediate and obvious symptoms the way you do during the bout of acute inflammation, such as the red and prickly skin that is characteristic of dermatitis, or the aches and pains that accompany a sinus infection. Instead, fructose triggers low grade systemic inflammation, which can produce silent but devastating damage throughout your body.
Inflammation isn't all bad of course, it is part of your immune system response. You couldn't survive without it, because it is an essential component of your body's defense network. Anytime you are injured or an unwelcome intruder such as germ or toxin find its way into your body, your immune system swings into action, producing a variety of chemicals that control damage and speed up healing. Histamines, example, increase blood flow to the site of the injury and infection. Then we have white blood cells, meanwhile, destroys bacteria and other microorganisms while helping to repair injured cells.
But, glitches can develop in the immune system, causing the body to attack itself. Heard of autoimmune disease? It is also known as autoimmune disorder, in which inflammatory chemicals destroy healthy tissue, as is the case of rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or type 1 Diabetes.
In recent years, it has becomes clear that chronic low-grade inflammation is a stealth factor in other more common diseases. For instance, atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease. Research has shown that silent, persistent inflammation contributes to the narrowing of arteries that leads to heart attack and stroke. But so far, what exactly causes systemic inflammation seemed to be unknown for now. There is no single answer, but fructose plays a role.
Fructose appears to set the stage for inflammation via several mechanisms. Cells exposed to fructose become temporarily depleted of energy, which can cause them to become inflamed. What's more, fructose stimulates the production of uric acid. Uric acid can directly induce inflammation inside the arteries.
Once again, it is a low grade symptomless form of inflammation, so drinking any form of soft drinks or 'fruit juices' will not leave you feeling sore or turn your skin red, as an acute inflammatory condition might. Nonetheless, chronic inflammation is a serious problem with far reaching consequences for your health.
Eating a high fructose meal, then, could drain much of your cells' energy bank account, quickly. When cells are depleted of ATP, your energy level slumps and you develop that familiar post sugar depression. You 'crash' and feel lethargic, tired, sleepy, all these symptoms must have ring a bell for most people.
Starved of energy, cells go into a state of shock. Activity in the cells shuts down, as though they had lost their blood supply. In fact, cells begin to act as though they were suffering ischemia, a loss of blood flow that leads to cell death and causes most heart attacks and strokes.
Next, let's talk about the affects of fructose on oxidative stress. Oxidative stress also occurs as molecules called free radicals, are generated and interact with uric acid and other cell components, which further damages cells. The amount of large soft drink, can trigger all of these damaging changes in a variety of cell types, including fat cells, liver cells, and the cells that line blood vessels. So, how about grabbing a can of Pepsi or Coke right now?
Eating a high fructose diet is one of the many ways to increase oxidative stress, a destructive phenomenon linked to many diseases, including cancer. Every moment, with every breath, your body produces toxic chemicals called free radicals, which damage healthy tissue through a process called oxidation. Although oxygen is necessary to produce life sustaining energy, a small percentage of the oxygen you inhale ends up generating free radicals. Exposure to environmental toxins such as air pollution, cigarette smoke and radiation contributes to oxidative stress too.
Free radicals are unstable particles that are missing electrons. They try to restore lost electrons by stealing a pair from any tissue in their path. Left unchecked, free radicals can oxidize cholesterol, which causes waxy substances to clog arteries. Now, please, do not misunderstood that cholesterol causes clogged arteries. Read properly and understand the importance of cholesterol in the body.
Free radicals may injure cells membranes and DNA, why is why many scientists believe that oxidative stress plays a role in cancer and aging itself. Ideally, our bodies keep oxidation to a minimum by staying well stocked with defenders called antioxidants, which defuse free radicals. Your body manufacture certain antioxidants and enzymes, but others must come from a healthy diet.
As a cell metabolizes fructose and uses up its ATP, the cell's uric acid levels rise. Free radicals are produced and interact with uric acid, leading to the creation of even more radicals and producing high levels of oxidative stress. So folks and all the fast food lovers out there, you might want to cut down food high in fructose.
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