Does mitohormesis suggest that antioxidant supplements are overrated?
Answers:
To some extent, although antioxidant supplements are still strongly recommended.
According to theories of mitohormesis (i.e., mitochondrial hormesis), hormesis may also be induced by endogenously produced, potentially toxic agents. For example, mitochondria consume oxygen which generates free radicals (reactive oxygen species) as an inevitable by-product. It was previously proposed on a hypothetical starting place that such free radicals may induce an endogenous response cumulating in increased defense capacity against exogenous radical (and possibly other toxic compounds). Recent experimental evidence from Michael Ristow's laboratory strongly suggests that this is indeed the case, and that such induction of endogenous free radical production extends life span of a model organism. Most importantly, this induction of time span is prevented by antioxidants, providing direct evidence that toxic radicals may mitohormetically exert life extending and health promoting effects.
Since mitochondrial movement was found to be increased in the before-mentioned studies, this effect cannot be explained by an excess of free radicals that might fault mitochondria for destruction by lysosomes, and that the free radicals act as a signal within the cell indicating which mitochondria are primed for destruction, according to Nick Lane.
Free radicals, or oxidants, grow in body tissues under common physiological conditions, and can cause damage to the rest of your body. The toxic oxidants (free radicals) are caused by day after day stress-producing activities as well as the natural aging process. These free radical are formed when oxygen is metabolized or burned. They then travel through cells, disrupting the structure of molecules, causing cellular sabotage.
The bulk of these oxidants are controlled or neutralized by cellular antioxidants, but some of these toxic oxidants escape and survive to contribute to the aging process. Furthermore, the natural antioxidant defense innate to our bodies becomes smaller number effective as the body ages, as a consequence of accumulated damage negatively affecting the efficacy of the defense-building enzymes. This is where antioxidant supplements come in. An antioxidant supplement is a combination of natural micronutrients that relief protect cellular tissue.
Cell damage caused by free radicals is believed to contribute to aging and be the result in of various health problems. Antioxidant supplements are a beneficial line of defense against the aging process.
An antioxidant supplement, combined near exercise and foods high in vitamins A, C, E, is known to significantly develop your health. New studies have found that by combining natural, energy-boosting components such as acetyl L-carnitine next to powerful antioxidants like alpha lipoic acid, they can actually slow the cell aging process.
As we age, toxic oxidants gather in the body, causing cellular damage to the mitochondria DNA, lipids and protein. This process results surrounded by inefficient cells and a body we recognize as aged -- wrinkled skin and low energy level. A good antioxidant supplement will help to reduce the even of free radicals in the body while maintaining optimum metabolic hustle and bustle and increasing energy potential.
Research has shown that an important factor within aging is the decay of the mitochondria - the organelles within the cell that convert amino acids, fatty acids and sugars, into energy. This research demonstrated that as we age, the value of the mitochondria diminishes, as does their quantity per cell. The effect is a body operating at one-half to one-fourth the energy it had at youth. Deficient drive in the brain and central nervous system affects the actions of all organs throughout the body as well as mental acuity and mood.
To really be beneficial, an antioxidant supplement needs to focuses on the role of the mitochondria and the mechanics of cellular oxidization. An effective antioxidant supplement must stimulate the synthesis of cardiolipin, a key component of the mitochondria, and in assimilation, activate the transport of high-energy food-derived products into the mitochondria. This captured energy is used to run the cellular machinery for such accomplishments as muscle contraction and neurotransmission. Cardiolipin is required, along with specific transport enzymes, in any supplement, to maintain the potential and overall integrity of the mitochondrial membrane.
In appendage, a good supplement facilitates the entry of fuel (starches and fatty acids) into the mitochondria. It stimulates production of natural antioxidants that protect the cell from age-associated increases contained by tissue-damaging oxidants.
The Free Radical Theory of Aging remains viable, although it is not the only explanation for senescence. A basic rule of the theory is that the fundamental change associated with the aging process are the cumulative result of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) which are normal by-products of aerobic life. The hypothesis states the mitochondria are the major source of toxic oxidants, which are capable of reacting near and destroying cell constituents and which accumulate with age. The gradual loss of energy beside age is paralleled by a decrease in number of mitochondria per cell, as well as the form and energy-producing efficiency of those remaining mitochondria. Source(s): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitohormesi…
http://juvenon.com/product/antioxidant-s…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antioxidant
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