Oxidation, a chemical reaction caused by free radicals, can be very damaging to cells, tissues, and organs.
Oxidative stress occurs when there is an imbalance between the formation and the removal of free radicals due to their overproduction and/or an impaired ability to neutralize them or repair the damage they create. When the body is unable to neutralize free radicals, cell membranes, tissues, and circulating lipids will undergo oxidative damage.

The body is under constant attack from oxidative stress. Substances that create free radicals can be found in the food and water we consume, the air we breathe, and the medicines we take. Consuming fried foods and industrial vegetable oils; smoking; alcohol consumption; chronic psychological stress; poor sleep; sedentary lifestyle; and exposure to environmental toxins, pesticides, heavy metals, radiation, and air pollution, have been associated with free radical and oxidative damage.
Oxidative damage is recognized as an underlying factor in many chronic diseases including autoimmune disease, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer.

An antioxidant is a substance that prevents oxidation and protects cells from damage caused by the impact of free radicals. The body produces some antioxidant enzyme systems on its own to scavenge free radicals, but in insufficient quantities. Obtaining antioxidants from a whole-foods eating pattern that emphasizes plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables is the best way to boost antioxidant levels in the body. Supplementing with antioxidants (with practitioner guidance) may also be helpful but it is important to start with food first. Other nutrients in plants called phytonutrients may work “in concert” with the antioxidant compounds to provide benefit. This benefit may not be
obtained from simply taking supplements.

An imbalance in available antioxidants contributes to chronic inflammation, an underlying factor in a number of disorders including arthritis, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal dysfunction, and cancer. Many nutrients play both an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory role in protecting cells and tissues from damage and destruction. Monitoring sufficiency of these nutrients is an important step in managing and preventing chronic disease.

Single antioxidants are added to the patient’s cells in the presence of oxidative stress molecules. This process is repeated for each individual antioxidant. Specific antioxidants that support recovery of patients’ lymphocytes from the effect of the oxidative stress are reported as highly protective or protective.

“Redox’ (reduction-oxidation) is a chemical reaction involving the increase and decrease in oxidation that occurs during metabolic reactions. A prolonged imbalance of oxidants and antioxidants, and its association with
physiological damage and chronic disease, has prompted the need for measuring redox imbalances
and antioxidant capacity within cells. The Redox Assay is a measurement of the cells’ resistance to oxidative stress and its overall antioxidant capacity.