Understanding the concept of threshold and oxidative stress is critical to understanding how cancer manifests itself in the human body.
We all carry certain inherent weaknesses genetic faults found in our DNA chain will be our downfall if we allow them to activate and get the upper hand.
Just because we all have some genetic glitches that’s the human condition – it does not mean we have to let our body’s predisposition to cancer destroy us.
Keeping our genetic weaknesses at bay preventing them from activating, requires us to pay close attention to our individual health thresholds. By threshold I mean your body’s ability to repair cell damage done by free radicals.
Once your health threshold is full, by virtue of poor nutrition, high stress, toxic environment, lack of exercise and bad genes you are quick to boil over and become symptomatic.
The main damage to cells results from the ROS-induced alteration of macromolecules such as polyunsaturated fatty acids in membrane lipids, essential proteins, and DNA.
ROS create something we call oxidative stress’ on the essential components of the cell.
Oxidative stress is when free radicals try to replace their lost electron by attacking nearby healthy equal electron-paired molecules and thereby set in motion a chain reaction which can damage a million or more adjacent molecules.
Free Radicals transform healthy molecules into more free-radicals… This dynamic action sets in motion a chain-reaction called oxidative stress.
Cell damage is induced by Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). Let’s go over this again, ROS are either free radicals, reactive anions containing oxygen atoms, or molecules containing oxygen atoms that can either produce free radicals or are chemically activated by them.
The best examples of ROS are hydroxyl radical, superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, and peroxynitrite they are all Reactive Oxygen Species.
Where are these ROS coming from? The main source of ROS in vivo (in your body) is aerobic respiration.
Reactive Oxygen Species are also produced by peroxisomal b-oxidation of fatty acids, microsomal cytochrome P450.
Oxidative stress is imposed on cells as a result of one of three factors: 1) an increase in oxidant generation, 2) a decrease in antioxidant protection, or 3) a failure to repair oxidative damage.
Under normal conditions, ROS are cleared from the cell by the action of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, or glutathione (GSH) peroxidase. But when a body has reached its threshold the oxidative stress goes un repaired and the resulting long term’ damage invites disease and death.
Threshold + Oxidative Stress = Disease
I want to repeat again that understanding the concept of threshold and oxidative stress is critical to understanding how cancer manifests itself in the human body.
