Age and Oxidative Stress - When should we start thinking about oxidative stress?
As long as we live, we are bound to get older. At the same time, oxidative stress increases.
At what age should we start paying attention to oxidative stress? And at what age should we start to pay attention to anti-aging?
In this article, I talk about how to deal with oxidative stress at different ages.
How to deal with oxidative stress as you age
When we are born as babies, we are in the lowest state of oxidative stress in our lives. From our twenties to thirties, oxidative stress is at a low level unless we have a serious illness. However, oxidative stress gradually increases after the age of 30, and further increases as we get older.
So, although the term "anti-aging" is used, we probably do not begin to be aware of it until we are about 30 years old.
If you are not ill or obese in your 20s, you do not need to worry about oxidative stress. However, after the age of 30, oxidative stress rises, so we should be careful about obesity and take foods that can lower oxidative stress.
Sun exposure is another factor that increases oxidative stress, so it is important to take measures to avoid sun exposure.
The older you get in your 50s, 60s, and 70s, the higher your oxidative stress becomes, so it is a good idea to exercise moderately and take foods that lower oxidative stress and supplements with evidence. Of course, we must not forget to protect ourselves from the sun.
Oxidative stress increases as we age, so it is best to take action as early as possible.
Is there a way to measure oxidative stress at home?
Unfortunately, it is not possible to measure oxidative stress at home. However, there are several ways to measure oxidative stress.
The source of oxidative stress is a volatile gas, so it is extremely difficult to measure. However, the gas changes into various things in the body, so it is possible to measure the amount of hydrogen peroxide, one of the oxidative stress substances, in the blood. There are other substances that increase in the urine when oxidative stress is high, so there is also a way to measure them with a urine test.
At present, there are only a limited number of hospitals and clinics that can measure oxidative stress, but I believe that if we can easily measure it in the future, it may lead to a healthier and longer life.
Beware of age-related odor
It is difficult to find a way to quantify oxidative stress in the body at home, but the fact is that elevated oxidative stress can cause various signs in the body.
One of the signs of this is age-related odor. Researchers at Shiseido have discovered that as we age and oxidative stress rises, a substance called "nonenal", which is the source of age-related odor, is released.
However, there are people who have body odor even if they are not that old. If you have a strange body odor, it could be due to a disease with high oxidative stress, diabetes or inflammatory disease.
If your body odor is different from usual, it may be a sign that your oxidative stress is elevated. This is a good sign.
In addition, Konica Minolta has released an instrument called KUNKUNBODY that measures age-related odor. The instrument itself is a little expensive, but it can be used at home to measure age-related odor and can be used by the whole family, so I think it would be a good idea to purchase one.
Finally.
In order to reduce oxidative stress, it is recommended that you start taking measures against oxidative stress at the age of 30.
Also, make sure you have the right information to start thinking about how to deal with oxidative stress that goes up as you age.
The lifestyle habits that you have acquired cannot be changed in a day even if you want to. Therefore, try to change your habits gradually but with a better lifestyle in mind.