It is becoming increasingly evidenced that obesity is associated with oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can be thought of as a condition whereby the antioxidant defences of the body become diminished through a prolonged and exaggerated production of free radicals. It is interesting to consider the origins of the free radicals in the obesity disease, because evidence suggests that they may be generated in cells as a by product of excess energy intake to the cells in the form of glucose. The excess glucose, a direct result of poor quality diet containing refined carbohydrates, results in an increased oxidation of energy and this ultimately produces free radicals from a metabolic pathway called the electron transport chain. These free radicals are implicated in the development of insulin resistance through interference with the cellular pathways that allow insulin to function. As they become more numerous they undoubtedly affect other cellular components as well and this may be a primary driver of disease.
Antioxidants are able to limit damage from free radicals because they can react with the free radicals, and this in turn removes the oxidative ability of free radicals preventing the free radicals causing damage when they react with tissues. Antioxidants therefore ‘sacrifice’ themselves to protect cells and tissues. Free radicals can produce oxidative stress however if they overwhelm the antioxidant defences of the cells, and this leads to inflammation and disease. Studies have investigated the antioxidant status of obese individuals and found that antioxidant levels in tissues are lower compared to non-obese individuals. For example, in one study, the vitamin C levels decreased as the waist to hip ratio, a measure of abdominal obesity, increased. The question therefore arises as to whether taking additional dietary antioxidant through consumption of supplements or by increasing the amount of plant foods containing antioxidants, is a useful treatment for the systemic oxidative stress that occurs with obesity?
Certainly it appears from the scientific literature that antioxidants are able to decrease the negative effects of oxidative stress. In this way increasing the amount of antioxidants in the diet by improving the quality of the diet to include more plant based foods, or through the use of supplements, may diminish the damaging effects of free radicals and oxidative stress. This in turn would decrease the risk of certain Western lifestyle diseases. However, a number of antioxidant have been investigated for their ability to reverse the insulin resistance that causes obesity, and in this respect the antioxidants may decrease directly the free radicals that are produced in response to the oxidation of excess energy, which in turn prevents those free radicals interfering with the insulin receptors. Alpha lipoic acid and the herb cinnamon appear to be particularly effective in this regard, and both are powerful antioxidants that have shown the ability to improve insulin sensitivity.
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