7 of the top 10 causes of death are linked to this!

You’ve probably heard a lot of conversations about oxidative stress, free radicals, inflammation, and metabolic syndrome in recent years. But because it continues to remain a significant threat to our health and because I’m a Don’t wait until you’re sick to know what’s going on in your body kind of girl, I thought a revisit might be in order.

Our bodies are continuously under assault and the resulting oxidative stress damage is putting us at increased risk for poor health and chronic disease. In fact, all adults have some level of chronic inflammation as a result of oxidative stress. And our youth are not far behind.

Oxidative stress is essentially an imbalance between free radicals, unstable molecules that can damage cells, and antioxidants, substances that can prevent or slow damage to cells. This imbalance can lead to both cell and tissue injury.   While some measure of free radicals are essential for supporting the immune system, such as cell signaling and fighting infection, an imbalance in this process has been linked to the initiation of many different chronic disease states.  In short, whenever there are too many free radicals or too few protective antioxidants, oxidative stress results causing chronic conditions.  Oxidative stress also leads to the chronic inflammation frequently associated with the so-called ‘modern’ diseases: Cardiovascular, Neurodegenerative, Cancer, Metabolic Disorders, Atherosclerosis, Diabetes, Autoimmune disorders.

Sources of oxidative stress

We are all exposed daily to multiple sources of oxidative stress, and this, coupled with antioxidant insufficiency in our diets, sets the course for oxidative damage and the associated diseases. Lifestyle factors, such as consuming fatty, fried, and heavily processed foods, excessive alcohol intake, a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and even excessive exercise, are commonly discussed in reference to oxidative stress. Despite decreased mortality from other diseases, we have now become increasingly vulnerable to the diseases of affluence and aging.

Did you know that environmental toxins are also significant contributors to oxidative stress?

The importance of the relationship of human health to the environment cannot be understated. The sheer volume of environmental toxins we are exposed to on a daily basis is downright scary. Pollution, biotoxins, pesticides, plastics (BPA), and mold, all significantly contribute to oxidative damage. And if this isn’t bad enough, our exposure to toxic metals , such as mercury, arsenic, lead, and cadmium from contaminated food, air, soil, and water is pervasive. Adverse health consequences from extended exposure to environmental chemicals are real and compromise the normal function of our systems. It is interesting to note that in many cases, environmental factors and lifestyle are actually intertwined!

So…

We’ve established that inflammation is pervasive and we’re all at risk for diseases associated with chronic inflammation. We’ve also established that both lifestyle and environment are related to chronic inflammation.

That said, we continue to treat inflammation them with long-term, expensive medication that may or may not fully address the symptoms, and certainly don’t address the disease. We know a healthy diet of anti-inflammatory foods and an active lifestyle goes a long way to keep inflammation under control and should be the first line of defense. But there’s more!

What if I told you CBD and other cannabinoids has shown potential as a plant-derived anti-inflammatory without the side effects of medications? It’s true! There is a large body of scientific literature and strong anecdotal evidence that supports the use of CBD for the treatment of inflammation and animal studies date back to 2009. According to one recent 2018 study published in Neurology, CBD binds to and desensitizes receptors known to mediate pain and sensory perception, inflammation, and body temperature. Another study shows the cannabinoid system seems to be able to interact with the immune system, reduce inflammation, and reduce pain from many common inflammatory conditions. Results of animal studies point to a strong possibility that CBD can be useful for addressing inflammation in humans, but human clinical trials are still needed. For now, CBD for inflammation remains an alternative treatment.

Cheers!