Looking good – feeling young
Published:Wednesday | January 17, 2024 | 12:08 AM
Gerontology, the study of ageing, is a relatively new science that has made incredible progress over the last 30 years. In the past, scientists looked for a single theory that explained ageing, but have realised that ageing is a complex interaction of genetics, chemistry, physiology, and behaviour. There are now dozens of theories of ageing to explain this inevitable fact of being human.
Our bodies are run by a system of incredibly complex processes that keep each other in balance. At the microscopic level, your health is, in part, a result of a carefully choreographed dance between your molecules.
When the steps are followed precisely, molecules work in concert to help keep you healthy. Like a line dance gone awry, though, if one molecule slides to the left while the other slides to the right, crashes are inevitable.
Enter free radicals, the molecules with the potential to crash your party, if left to their own devices. You have probably heard of free radicals. They are often connected with ageing skin, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and more, but what are they and how can they be stopped.
According to Dr Orlando Thomas, medical doctor and functional medicine practitioner at Thomas Medical and Shockwave Centre, free radicals are a byproduct of normal cell function.
“When cells create energy, they also produce unstable oxygen molecules. These molecules, called free radicals, have a free electron, which makes the molecule highly unstable. Free radicals bond to other molecules in the body, causing proteins and other essential molecules to not function as they should,” Dr Thomas said.
“Free radicals can be formed through this natural process, but they can also be caused by diet, stress, smoking, alcohol, exercise, inflammation drugs, exposure to the sun or air pollutants,” Dr Thomas added.
CELLULAR DAMAGE
If you do not have enough antioxidants to keep free radicals in check, they go rogue and steal electrons from wherever they can get them. When you have too many free radicals gobbling up electrons from stable molecules, it is called oxidative stress. When that happens, cells get damaged and even die.
When free radicals build up and start stealing electrons, those molecules, in turn, become unstable. That leads to cellular damage down to the DNA level. So, when your body is experiencing oxidative stress in a particular area, you find signs of ageing and disease.
The cells become damaged, and negative effects manifest themselves. So, if you are out in the sun too much, you can get oxidative stress in your skin, and that can lead to sun spots or even skin cancer. High blood sugar can cause oxidative stress on the blood vessels, which can lead to heart disease and poor circulation.
A short list of diseases that have been connected to free radical damage includes cancer, autoimmune diseases, cataracts, rheumatoid arthritis, heart and cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and ageing skin including wrinkles and sun spots.
The fact is that you cannot completely avoid free radicals, however, you can, limit your exposure to some unnecessary free radicals.
There are two ways to keep free radicals from taking over your body. One is to limit how many of them you let in. The other is to take in enough antioxidants to keep the free radicals from taking centre stage.
Studies have shown that increasing the number of antioxidants in the diet can slow the effects of ageing. This theory does not fully explain all the changes that occur during ageing and it is likely that free radicals are only one part of the ageing equation.
In fact, more recent research suggests that free radicals may actually be beneficial to the body in some cases and that consuming more antioxidants than you would through food have the opposite intended effect.
It is a good idea to eat a healthy diet, not smoke, limit alcohol intake, get plenty of exercises and avoid air pollution and direct exposure to the sun. Taking these measures is good for your health in general, but can also slow down the production of free radicals.
MINIMISE YOUR RISK
Getting your antioxidant fix from your diet has been proven to help minimise your risk of oxidative stress and damage. Try these vitamin-rich foods that are high in antioxidants:
• Vitamin C: Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, blueberries, cauliflower, cantaloupe, grapefruit, leafy greens, kale, strawberries, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, tomatoes and citrus fruits.
• Vitamin E: Almonds, avocado, sunflower seeds, oatmeal and legumes (beans, lentils, split peas), peanuts, red pepper and leafy greens.
• Beta Carotene: Apricots, cantaloupe, mangos, carrots, grapefruit and bell peppers, asparagus, beets, kale, mangoes, orange, peaches, pink grapefruit, pumpkin, squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, tangerines and watermelon.
• Selenium: Eggs, tuna, salmon, brown rice, onions, poultry, shellfish and beef – limited to no more than one to two servings per week.
• Zinc: Beef, poultry, oysters, shrimp, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, lentils, cashews and fortified cereals.
• Phenolic Compounds: Apples, wine (in moderation), onions, tea, cocoa, berries, grapes, peanuts and some spices, including oregano, thyme and rosemary.