Oxidative Stress - why is it so bad?

Oxidative Stress:

Oxidative stress, simply put, is the damage made to a cell through the oxidative process.

Oxidation, in itself, is a very normal process - it happens all the time to our bodies and many things that surround us.

However, when there are disturbances in the natural oxidation process, such as the attraction of a free radical to another molecule in your body, the results are often toxic effects.

Imagine an iron pipe lying on the ground. As it weathers years of rain, environmental exposure, sun, and other factors, it begins to rust.

The rust is caused by oxidation. Free oxygen radicals are created during the metabolism of normal oxygen cells, or oxidation. These free radicals are missing a simple electron and are in search of another molecule that they can combine with to become "whole." In their quest, they fire charges that damage other cells and structures around them. This, in turn, causes the rust.
In effect, your body is "rusting" as it goes through its lifetime, the free oxygen radicals wildly running through your system, searching for a mate.

As you can see, the more free radicals your body contains, the more damage that's likely to be done. The best way to see this damage is through our normal aging process.
 
* Cancer results as the chain damages cell membranes and DNA.Oxidative Stress and Aging

While modern medicine has found ways for humans to live longer, our quality of life - especially during the last 30 years - has gone down.
Much of this can be attributed to oxidative stress and the toxins that we're encountering more and more throughout our lives.
A simple way to visually experience the effects of oxidative stress on aging is to visit a nursing home. Compare the skin of a five-year-old to that of a resident, and notice the breakdown, wrinkles, and color as compared to the smooth, supple skin of a child.
Throughout our lives, our skin encounters free radicals in many different forms, and their effect is clearly obvious on our skin.
But oxidative stress isn't only apparent on the outside. It's the cause of many or most diseases our society is concerned with today. Oxidative Stress and Disease

To date, science has discovered that oxidative stress may very well be the cause of over 70 well-known, widely-spread diseases.
Depending on what form of toxin or stress your body is exposed to on an ongoing basis, you could find yourself suffering, even at an early age, from diseases that could be prevented if only you'd have minimized the harmful free radicals in your system.