Oxidative Stress

Oxidative stress occurs when the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) exceeds the capacity of cellular antioxidant defence systems to neutralise them, resulting in damage to lipids, proteins, and DNA. While low levels of ROS serve important signalling functions, chronic oxidative stress is implicated in aging, cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, cancer, and diabetes. The body's primary antioxidant defences include enzymatic systems (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase) and non-enzymatic molecules, chief among them glutathione (GSH). NAD+ also plays a role in oxidative stress defence by supporting sirtuin activity, which regulates antioxidant gene expression. Research into glutathione and NAD+ supplementation is driven by the recognition that declining levels of these molecules with age contribute to progressive oxidative damage.