6. - Oxidative Stress 

Have you ever cut an apple in half and noticed how quickly it turns brown? Or perhaps seen how quick rust can form on a steel can which got wet and was left outside for a day? This is oxidation occurring right before your eyes. Oxygen is life giving, and we would quickly die without it. However, oxygen can also cause stress as you are about to see.

Your body produces large numbers of potentially dangerous and destructive "free radical" oxygen molecules right around the clock just by your eating and breathing. Your blood stream is filled with these free-radicals at any time, and their destructive power comes from the fact that each of these free radicals has a single un-paired electron. These unbalanced molecules need another electron to balance themselves out. These highly unstable particles "steal" electrons from other parts of the body, and this damages genes, proteins and lipoproteins and can seriously raise your risk of heart disease and cancer.

Oxidative stress occurs when your body’s natural antioxidant defenses are being overwhelmed, and there are just too many free radicals in your system. We simply can't stop this process, our bodies continually produce these free radicals naturally when we breathe, digest food and neutralise alcoholic  and drugs of any type, and even when cells convert fat and carbohydrates into energy. When free radicals attack LDL cholesterol, it converts into the form that promotes atherosclerosis.

Why Does It Happen?

Free radicals are usually mopped up by the body’s natural antioxidant system, particularly if your diet is very rich in "anti" oxidant foods like fresh fruits and vegetables. If that protective system is overwhelmed, free radicals begin to damage cells and other molecules, leading to atherosclerosis, cancer, mental decline and other health problems. Your natural antioxidants are overwhelmed by a lack of fruit and vegetables, an excess of stress and too little exercise.

So, if you drink copious quantities of alcohol, exercise very little, stress and worry too much, get too anxious, have metabolic syndrome and opt for a fast food diet such as fish and chops and cola drinks too often, this free radical clean up simply won't happen.

Other causes of free radical damage appear to be too much ultra violet (sun) light, tobacco smoke, too many drugs - whether they be prescription, over-the-counter or illegal drugs, environmental toxins like sprays, chemicals, or workplace chemicals like solvents, fuel, paint, welding, etc. Whenever your body's natural anti-oxidant defence becomes overwhelmed, you will develop oxidative stress.

Here is a picture showing you the body's systems and how they are all affected by oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress could hold the key

According to researchers oxidative stress may possibly be what switches atherosclerosis from ‘off’ to ‘on’. You will have read about LDL already on this website, and how it is considered the "bad" cholesterol. The critical thing to learn about oxidative stress is about when LDL particles become oxidised themselves. Low density lipoproteins carry a greater amount of fat (cholesterol) than their HDL brothers, but once they become oxidised, their cargo of cholesterol becomes more deadly. Oxidised LDL (LDL-ox )  can much more readily penetrate artery walls and end up forming artery-clogging plaque.

Your immune system's cells called macrophages recognise these oxidised LDL's as foreign invaders and trap them so that they become foam-filled cells that lay the foundation for plaque. LDL-ox end up making plaque grow larger and more rapidly, and eventually lead to major risk for clots, thrombosis and a stroke. Japanese research discovered that high levels of LDL-ox  can more than double your risk of a heart attack! They also found out that those who did have a heart attack had levels of LDL-ox  up to four times higher than those in the healthy heart group.

Doctors who understand oxidative stress today know that reducing a person's risk of heart disease is much more than just "lowering cholesterol" - it is more about preventing oxidative stress by encouraging their patients to eat a diet rich in antioxidants, fruits and vegetables. These are the foods richest in antioxidants and therefore most likely to confer benefits, reducing the risk of oxidative stress.

You can read a lot more about oxidative stress on our naturopath.co.nz website.

Antioxidant foods are best

People who eat ample fresh fruits and vegetables have low levels of LDL-ox . Oxidative stress is an important heart disease mechanism generally overlooked by medical practitioners and cardiologists in favour of cholesterol lowering treatments. Japanese research has found that people who have had a heart attack had levels of oxidised LDL four times higher than those in a healthy control group. Isn't it time we looked at the whole picture when it comes to the prevention of heart disease, instead of following the same old  line. It all makes sense.

Your main risk factors

Oxidative stress may be more of a threat to your heart than you think right now, the more risk factors you have, the higher the odds are that free radicals are damaging your cardiovascular system right now.

• Smoking 
• Being overweight 
• Metabolic syndrome or diabetes 
• Too little exercise 
• A diet very low in fruits and vegetables 
• Mental or emotional stress 
• Poor ability to relax, too much worry 

HDL protects LDL from oxidative damage

It is important to raise your HDL levels fro several reasons. HDL confers several protective roles over LDL in your body, including:

• HDL helps move LDL to the liver - The liver then goes on to process the LDL and moves it to the digestive system for excretion. This is one of the reasons why you need good fibre levels to lower your bad cholesterol! 
• HDL protects LDL - By repairing LDL by way of siphoning off the oxidised fats. 

Do you have metabolic syndrome?

Having metabolic syndrome only increases the odds that the LDLs you have will be much more easily oxidised. Extra fat will be more likely to be floating throughout the circulation, coupled with continuing high levels of insulin. Extra fat for several hours after a meal can mean that ordinary LDLs can more easily oxidise and turn into small, lethal and dense oxidised LDLs.

Having normal LDL levels can give you a false sense of security, because you don't know what oxidised LDLs you have, and nor does your doctor! There are certain sophisticated tests which can reveal this marker, but here's an easier way: If your blood tests reveal low HDLs and high triglycerides, then you probably have a high level of oxidised small LDLs as well.

The bottom line is, if you do have metabolic syndrome, you will probably have a degree of oxidisation going on in your body on different levels, and it is in your best interests to exercise and eat the right foods! 

Key things you need to know about Oxidative Stress

How oxidative stress happens - Free radicals attack LDL cholesterol, the free radical damage helps convert LDLs into an oxidised form,  a lethal form that triggers or even worsens atherosclerosis. This new form of "bad" cholesterol can also contribute to plaque formation and bursting; and it is this burst plaque that can cause blood clots that block blood flow to the brain or heart and cause a stroke (brain) or heart attack.

Detecting oxidative stress -There is no test available to determine the level of oxidative stress going on in your circulatory system, but the lifestyle choices you make on a daily basis will dictate your level of oxidative stress . Being overweight, high stress levels, no relaxation, having a diet low in fruit and vegetables, smoking, alcohol consumption and the use of chemicals and toxins in your home or work place including a lack of exercise all raise your risk of oxidative stress.

Mental and emotional stress-Mental and emotional stress can boost oxidative stress; relaxation can lower it. Metabolic syndrome is connected with stress and adrenal fatigue, so it makes sense to look at ways of reducing your stress levels.

Standard medical care for oxidative stress- Your orthodox medical doctor or specialist can offer no effective treatment to help reduce oxidative stress. The best way for you to begin combating this problem is to eat a diet laden in antioxidant rich foods, particularly fresh fruits and vegetables. Anti-oxidant supplements help as well, but are not supported by conventional "research" which has vested pharmaceutical dollar interests. Each year, Australians and New Zealanders spend many millions of dollars on over-the-counter vitamin and mineral supplements—including popular antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, E and beta carotene and the minerals zinc and selenium. Research is now validating the effectiveness of antioxidants, in particular vitamin C. We recommend that you take in vitamins A, C and E regularly through a nutritional supplement.

What you can do about it - Extremely high for most people, because like metabolic syndrome, oxidative stress is a dietary and lifestyle choice. Consume foods rich in natural antioxidants - the colourful fruits and vegetables. In addition, exercise daily (walking is great), and look at ways to reduce your stress.  Easy food switches that will boost your daily antioxidant intake include drinking apple or grape juice instead of soft (fizzy or carbonated) drinks, adding fresh and raw fruits and vegetables to your salad. reduce your intake of fried and especially deep fried foods - these increase oxidation in your body.  

If you are overweight and have high blood pressure, heart or circulatory concerns, high cholesterol, chronic inflammation, oxidative stress or metabolic syndrome, then why not try heart Drops?

Heart Drops is a 100% natural herbal formula which can assist and support your heart and circulation, Heart Drops is New Zealand's leading proprietary herbal medicine formula created since 2004 to assist in supporting those with high blood pressure and high cholesterol concerns in a safe, drug free way. Many Australians and New Zealanders have benefited from this formula, and so can you.

Heart Drops are not pharmaceutical drugs

Heart Drops were designed to help support your healthy lifestyle and diet thereby optimising your success with your quest for a healthy circulation and heart. Heart Drops were never meant to substitute for your doctor's professional advice or treatment, they play a supportive role and work on an entirely different and more of a nutritional level than drugs do. Whilst drugs do a good job of controlling symptoms, the unique combination of the herbal medicines helps to encourage the development of healthy tissue and assists in healthy blood vessel growth.

The primary action of herbs used in circulatory disorders is to increase the flow of blood to the body’s extremities (arms, legs, fingers and toes) and to improve the health of heart and blood vessel walls in general.

In conjunction with a healthy heart diet and stress management, the traditional herbs used in Heart Drops are the perfect preventive measure for people who have a family history of heart disease. They can be used in combination with drugs as a safe and effective program for combating the gradual loss of heart and circulatory function that comes with age.

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Please Note: Our herbal medicine formulations are not cures nor a remedy for any medical disorder, nor are they a substitute for professional health-care attention, diagnosis and/or treatment.  We never advocate that you stop drugs for blood pressure, high cholesterol or heart disease, but that you get professional advice regarding your treatment and your options. Do not exceed stated dosages without professional advice. Our herbal preparations are not pharmaceutical drugs and are prescribed for nutritional purposes only to support and assist the body to heal itself. Refrigeration not required. Keep out of reach of children. If symptoms persist, see your health-care professional. People sensitive or allergic to any of the ingredients of Heart Drops should avoid this product. 

Disclaimer - While we cannot make any medical claims, the testimonials on this website speak for themselves. The information contained herein is general commentary and not medical advice. If you have concerns or questions about a medical condition, you are advised to consult your health care professional.