The effects of oxidative stress are most apparent in cardiovascular diseases, but they also occur in arthritis, asthma, digestive disorders, tumors, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and numerous other diseases. Free radical damage results not only from external stimuli such as cigarette smoke, pollutants in the environment, sunlight, and air-conditioning duct cleaners; it can also be a result of genetics. The oxidative stress that develops into arthritis is indicative of several underlying conditions. The presence of inflammation is an indication of a much more serious underlying condition such as systemic inflammation. The presence of chronic inflammation coupled with decreased antioxidant status is an indicator of systemic inflammation.
Oxidative stress can also increase the risk of developing tumors. This is because oxidative stress increases the rate of cell death in your body while also increasing the risk of tumor growth. The oxidative stress that can cause the development of tumors is directly proportional to the degree of your risk for developing a tumor and the magnitude of your tumor cell death. For instance, if you have a high incidence of heart disease and your risk for having a benign tumor is one in four, your probability of developing a benign tumor is one in four. In this example, the probability of developing a benign tumor is increased fourfold as opposed to a high incidence of heart disease and only a fourfold increase in the occurrence of a heart disease after an event of cancer.
Cancer is typically thought of as a disease of the skin, although it can occur anywhere in your body. One of the known consequences of oxidative stress is a higher incidence of skin cancer. As mentioned earlier, oxidative stress causes the body to produce excessive production of certain inflammatory chemicals. These chemicals are then believed to damage or destroy benign tissues in the body. Many of the inflammatory chemicals can also interfere with the activity of cell death. In this case, the production of excessive inflammatory chemicals may lead to an increased incidence of cancer.
Studies have shown that oxidative stress can increase the frequency of cancer and can play a role in carcinogenesis. In addition to oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, cigarette smoking has been correlated with an increased incidence of certain cancers. Nicotine and other chemical components found in cigarettes are known to have numerous effects on the oxidative stress system and the transcription factors that regulate it. Nicotine and other chemicals have also been linked to several types of chronic inflammation including breast cancer, prostrate cancer and colon cancer.
Researchers have looked for methods to counter the effects of nicotine and other chemical pollutants by trying to develop antioxidants that could effectively reduce oxidative stress. Research has shown that several plant compounds are able to reduce the inflammatory effects of oxidative stress. Resveratrol, lycopene, quercetin, grape seed extract, procyanidins and several other polyphenols have been tested as effective antioxidants that can reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory chemicals and inflammatory molecules. Some of these compounds have been found to be more effective than others.
Lycopene, an antioxidant in red wines, has been linked to lower incidence of several kinds of cancer. Quercetin, a compound present in grape seeds and vegetables, is also a powerful antioxidant that is able to scavenge free radicals. Some recent studies suggest that another polyphenol, grape seed extract, may also have anti-cancer activity. Procyanidins and other polyphenols have been shown to prevent cell death in some experimental cancers. Since chronic inflammatory diseases are thought to contribute to the development of certain types of cancer, scientists are now looking at how different polyphenols might modulate the inflammatory process and thus prevent the occurrence of cancer.
One of the latest findings suggests that uric acid levels in the body are reduced by antioxidants. Oxidative stress has been shown to lead to the activation of genes that produce or react to the production of histamines. These studies indicate that researchers may one day learn how to treat inflammatory diseases using antioxidants and nf-b complex.