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Now that Chinese new year is over and we have all eaten our fill of dumplings and . . . . . ..we are in a perfect spot get our eating back on track! Dr. Max Shute is here to save you with a detailed article on your diet, antioxidants and the story behind it all!
Millions of years ago plants ruled the Earth. It was a good time for them, as the atmosphere was largely comprised of carbon dioxide, a key ingredient in plant metabolism. As these plants took in carbon dioxide and gave off oxygen they eventually began to pollute their own atmosphere. Today’s plants were forced to evolve in such a manner that allowed them to tolerate oxygen.
As humans, and aerobic athletes, we can benefit from eating certain antioxidant-rich plants, essentially borrowing some of their antioxidant properties. We have also developed our own specific antioxidant defenses. These defensive capabilities are of particular interest to the aerobic athlete, as they help maintain cellular function and, believe it or not, delay fatigue.
How did they do it? They began producing antioxidant chemicals to protect themselves from the highly reactive, and sometimes destructive, oxygen molecules. As humans, and aerobic athletes, we can benefit from eating certain antioxidant-rich plants, essentially borrowing some of their antioxidant properties. We have also developed our own specific antioxidant defenses. These defensive capabilities are of particular interest to the aerobic athlete, as they help maintain cellular function and, believe it or not, delay fatigue.
Oxygen, of course, is our ally in energy metabolism. In its absence, you would soon cease to function properly and eventually cease all together. Just try holding your breath - it soon becomes unpleasant. While oxygen participates in a key step of aerobic energy production, it also is the root cause of oxidative stress. As you can probably imagine, our cells are not 100% efficient. Not every molecule of oxygen serves perfectly in the energy production process. About 2-8% of the oxygen consumed results in the formation of free radicals. While these may sound like happy-go-lucky societal outsiders, they actually can wreak havoc on the internal cellular environment. In other words, free radicals can interfere with muscular contraction and as a result are implicated as a central mechanism in fatigue.
What exactly are free radicals? When aerobic metabolism is successful, our beloved oxygen molecule, after splitting into atomic oxygen, eagerly joins with two hydrogen atoms and becomes a perfect molecule of water, pure H20. However, 2-8% of time, oxygen is converted into one of several different types of free radicals. At the atomic level, electrons typically hang out in pairs. In the case of the free radical, an atom has an unpaired electron in its outer or “valence” shell, a situation it finds quite unacceptable.
Not unlike most humans, electrons like to have a partner. Without a mate they become extremely irritable and will take an electron, without asking, from the nearest possible donor. So, these unfulfilled free radical molecules will do whatever is necessary to complete their outer ring. If this means mugging an electron from some defenseless protein, so be it. In doing so, they eventually damage cellular tissues. Sometimes they pick on DNA or other genetic material, but they often target fatty acids in cellular membranes. When membranes become compromised, complete anarchy can soon follow, resulting in a decreased ability for that cell to do its job. If this cell is a hard-working, oxygen-consuming, slow-twitch skeletal muscle fiber, then this means you slow down.
Not unlike most humans, electrons like to have a partner. Without a mate they become extremely irritable and will take an electron, without asking, from the nearest possible donor. So, these unfulfilled free radical molecules will do whatever is necessary to complete their outer ring. If this means mugging an electron from some defenseless protein, so be it.
While free radicals, like mosquitoes, may appear to serve no useful purpose, this isn’t entirely true. They are essential to the adaptive process, without which you would not develop a stronger aerobic engine. When free radicals are inevitably created, they act as cellular messengers that signal our complex DNA machinery to produce proteins that make us stronger aerobic athletes. This is one of the pillars of your training program. These proteins can be anything from mitochondria (cellular power plants) to the enzymes that regulate aerobic energy production. They are absolutely necessary, and without them we would not become stronger, more efficient athletes. So, the bottom line is that oxidative stress, caused by free radical generation, hinders performance at present but signals our cells to become stronger for the next time.
This begs the question “Can we increase sport performance by boosting or optimizing our antioxidant defenses?” The answer is a resounding maybe. Like most research, the verdict is still out and far from conclusive. In my opinion, however, this area of research is very promising and exciting. Many of us are aware of several antioxidants found in foods as well as supplements. Among the more famous plant derived antioxidants are vitamin E, C, beta-carotene (body converts this to vit A), and lipoic acid (found in meat and plants). We retain meaningful amounts of these phytochemicals when we eat antioxidant-rich foods or, to a lesser extent, take supplements that contain them. These antioxidants work as a network, not only to suppress free radicals but also to rejuvenate each other.
The antioxidant most people haven’t heard of happens to be the most powerful of them all. I’m talking about the seldom discussed, glutathione, the absolute commander and chief of our antioxidant defense system. Why isn’t it more famous? Good question.
Together, these antioxidant compounds sacrifice themselves by donating their electrons to free radicals before the free radical can take an electron from a functioning tissue. In doing so, these compounds become free radicals themselves, since they are now missing a valence electron. However, these newly formed free radicals are far less detrimental than those derived from oxygen. And, our network of antioxidant defenses eventually rejuvenates them and sends them back to the front lines to continue battle. For example, because vitamin E is fat-soluble, it plays an integral role in protecting cellular membranes, which are largely comprised of fatty acids and often targeted by free radicals. Vitamin C then steps in to donate its electrons to the vitamin E free radical, enabling vitamin E to return to duty.
The antioxidant most people haven’t heard of happens to be the most powerful of them all. I’m talking about the seldom discussed, glutathione, the absolute commander and chief of our antioxidant defense system. Why isn’t it more famous? Good question. It may stem from the fact that glutathione cannot simply be boosted through consumption, like its subordinates. The cell must make glutathione on its own. One of the main ingredients, cysteine, is hard to come by, toxic, and quite unstable by itself. While it is abundant in dairy products, the pasteurization process often destroys or denatures any meaningful amount present. Glutathione ultimately plays a final role in rejuvenating injured antioxidant soldiers. While boosting glutathione is difficult at best, research has indicated that when it is accomplished, you see significant increases in aerobic sports performance in already trained individuals.
An antioxidant-rich diet is important for all individuals, whether they are healthy, diseased, active, or sedentary. To the aerobic athlete, increasing antioxidant and glutathione status is particularly meaningful. While we have yet to determine a practical way to optimize glutathione, we do know that an antioxidant-rich diet helps maintain intracellular glutathione concentrations. Doing so appears to have the potential to increase sports performance and is at least conducive to a healthy, disease free lifestyle. This is a highly active area of research. The last great, true, and legal development in ergogenic aids happened in 1965 with the formulation of a tolerable carbohydrate replacement drink. The next one is likely to involve antioxidants, may happen sooner than we think and be equally significant.
A huge thank you for Coach Dr. Max Shute.
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