Oxidative stress – react before it’s too late!

There is a daily fight for health in our body. Attackers take part in it: oxygen free radicals and our defenders: antioxidants. The whole process of this fight is managed by commanders – enzymes. One of them is glutathione peroxidase, which carries out the reaction of neutralizing free radicals with the help of the antioxidant – glutathione.

Almost every disease is strongly associated with free radicals. Their excess leads to harmful processes (oxidative stress) and inflammation. It is worth taking a closer look at them, because nowadays more and more factors in our lives cause overproduction of free radicals. Mitochondria in cells are most at risk. For this reason, free radicals and oxidative stress are “hallmarks” in mitochondrial medicine. One can venture to say that almost every disease begins with mitochondrial damage by free radicals.

Enzymes and antioxidants guard the mitochondria. One of the most important enzymes is glutathione peroxidase (GSH – Px) involved in defense against free radicals and oxidative stress. Without glutathione peroxidase, cells would degrade due to the unlimited action of free radicals and strong oxidative stress. Let’s take a closer look at what oxidative stress is.

Oxidative stress

Simply put, oxidative stress occurs when oxidative processes prevail over the body’s antioxidant capacity.

oxidative processes> the body’s antioxidant potential

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are responsible for the formation of oxidative processes, i.e. oxygen molecules having one or more unpaired electrons in their orbit, which leads to high reactivity of this type of molecules. Figuratively speaking: ROS have one goal in life: rob someone from electrons. The problem is that the subsequent molecules or atoms deprived of by ROS themselves become radicals (a cascade of oxidative stress).

Oxygen radicals include:

hydroxyl radical (HO.)
peroxide (O2-.)
hydrogen peroxide (so-called hydrogen peroxide) H2O2

In turn, the body’s antioxidant potential is our ability to defend against free radical attacks. This potential consists of numerous substances with antioxidant activity (so-called antioxidants or antioxidants) and enzymes. This is where glutathione peroxidase comes into action, which reduces the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) hydrogen to water, making it harmless to cells.

Glutathione peroxidases – your health insurance

Glutathione peroxidases are selenoperoxidases – they contain selenium in the form of selenocysteine ​​in the active center of these enzymes. So, as you can hardly guess without selenium, this enzyme has reduced activity and cannot efficiently protect us against free radicals.

In addition, as the name implies, glutathione peroxidase needs glutathione – a unit for special tasks. Glutathione is a mitotropic substance present in every cell of our body. It has been undeniably proven that without glutathione, the cell dies. Importantly, too low levels of glutathione are observed in many diseases. Its supplementation can have a positive effect in the case of:

cardiovascular diseases (arteriosclerosis, stroke, heart disease) 1-3.
lung diseases (blocks the formation of free radicals, protects against cystic fibrosis, helps with emphysema and fibrosis) 4-5.
premature aging (glutathione has beneficial effects in diseases of old age, i.e. cataracts, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's6. In addition, it protects the brain and prevents its damage),
digestive system diseases (works great for enteritis, ulcerative colitis, Lesniewski-Crohn's disease, gastric and duodenal ulcers and pancreatitis),
Immune system diseases (helps patients struggling with HIV and chronic fatigue syndrome) 7-9
cukrzycy10

What’s more, glutathione has detoxifying effects on the body. It binds to toxins and creates a water-soluble solution, which is then removed by urine or bile. Doctor Kuklinski gives:

GSH serves as a cofactor for body detoxifying enzymes (s – transferases, GPx) and enzymes that remove xenobiotics such as DDT or other pesticides (dehydrochlorinase) from our interior.

Glutathione (as a component of glutathione peroxidases) is a cellular defense against the effects of oxidative stress.

Glutathione peroxidase requires glutathione and selenium to function properly. It follows that the deficit of both substances increases oxidative stress.
Dr. Bodo Kuklinski

Glutathione comes in two forms: active – otherwise reduced (GSH) and oxidized (GSSG). For the action of glutathione peroxidase it is the reduced form that is necessary. The oxidized form must be recovered with glutathione reductase so that it can be reused.

All enzymes that require the presence of glutathione can only use reduced glutathione (GSH). 98% of the reduced glutathione is located in the intercellular space, the oxidized form (GSSG) is only 2%.

Dr. Bodo Kuklinski

Glutathione deficiency

Remember that each cell in the body is responsible for providing glutathione. For this reason, they must have the necessary starting products to ensure its production and the action of glutathione peroxidases (including cysteine ​​and selenium).

Every day we are exposed to an increase in the production of free radicals as a result of: inflammation, improper diet and stimulants, acidification of the body, environmental pollution, medications taken, electrosmog (including cell phones, computers), stress, injuries, heavy metals or chemicals . Along with them, our resources of glutathione, which is used to fight free radicals, decrease. Constantly increasing pollution of the environment in which we live causes that the reserves of glutathione in our body are decreasing faster.

The lymphatic system is the main detoxification organ, followed by the liver. Studies show that low levels of glutathione lead to the malfunction of both of these organs, which causes toxins to enter the entire body and ultimately lead to damage to both cells and mitochondria.

During the fight against free radicals, glutathione is used and its form changes from active to inactive. So if we have an excess of oxidized, inactive glutathione, it indicates that the body cannot cope with “detoxification” and defense against free radicals. We are at risk.

Glutathione level your health level

Doctor Kuklinski gives you how to properly check the level of glutathione:

Glutathione peroxidase GPX (glutathione peroxidase), belonging to the selenoprotein, is an antioxidant enzyme, one of the markers of oxidative stress with activity dependent on the level of selenium in the body, which is due to the presence of the selenocysteine ​​residue (Se-Cys) in its active center. Reduced GPX activity is observed in the case of too low selenium content in the diet, as a result of occupational and / or environmental exposure to chemical substances (e.g. heavy metals, smog), in some pathological conditions (cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic renal failure); physiologically, in women in a normal pregnancy.
GPX activity is determined in plasma and erythrocytes, with plasma being a marker of the so-called short lesions - visible after about 3-4 weeks, and marked in erythrocytes is a marker of changes noticeable after about 3-4 months.

First of all, let’s maintain the proper level of glutathione, selenium and cysteine ​​- the elements necessary for the work of glutathione peroxidase, which is a guarantee in preventing many diseases and reducing symptoms with already existing ailments.