On the topic, as oxidation is a pretty prevalent negative side effect of living, our body has multiple mechanisms to deal with it, no? So my question is: where do the "antioxidants" that we can eat come into the picture here? Are they like preventing oxidation from even occurring, or are they like the shields that our cells use to protect themselves from oxidative stress, or what have you?
Please remember to spread the word about this :(
Submitted 2 weeks ago by TheImpressiveX@lemmy.today to [deleted]
https://i.postimg.cc/NF8WdM2D/bb1m0bbid17e1.png
Comments
Winter_Oven@piefed.social 2 weeks ago
peregrin5@lemm.ee 2 weeks ago
Oxidation is how red blood cells collect oxygen to pass to the rest of the body. In fact it is iron in hemoglobin that “rusts” to collect the oxygen.
Antioxidants have nothing to do with this.
Winter_Oven@piefed.social 2 weeks ago
ooh, then I must have gotten the terms wrong...
What I was thinking were the free radicals that are generated during basically most oxygen related reactions in the body, I thought that was called oxidation (at least, in terms of the body).
So, you know anything about how (or if) antioxidants are used against free radicals?
Greyghoster@aussie.zone 2 weeks ago
Thanks, this is an unexpected image and a fun fact for the next party.
rhombus@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
The process you’re thinking of is oxygenation, not oxidation. Oxygenation is the binding of oxygen to other molecules, oxidation is the loss of electrons. When the iron in hemoglobin oxidizes (from Fe2+ to Fe3+) it stops binding with oxygen, and if it oxidizes further (to Fe4+) it can start oxidizing other molecules in your body. Your body has enzymes to reduce the iron back to a reactive state, but antioxidants also play a role in reducing oxidized molecules.
liquorisquicker@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Oxidation is the loss of electrons, whereas reduction is the gain of electrons. The mnemonic is OIL RIG: Oxidation Is Loss, Reduction Is Gain.
Oxygen is highly electronegative (second only to fluorine), meaning that it will strongly pull electrons.
The reason that oxygen is so important for respiration is because of its high electronegativity. It is used as the final electron acceptor in a chain of chemical reactions that are used to convert high energy molecules that you’ve eaten into different high energy molecules that your body can use.
Think of the analogy of a staircase and a ball. The ball is an electron and the stairs are energy states of different molecules along the metabolic pathway. As the ball goes down the stairs, the electron loses energy (which is usually converted to ATP or NADH). At the bottom of the stairs is oxygen, once the electron gets there, it doesn’t have anymore potential energy to lose, unless maybe you have some fluorine around.
An oxygen missing an electron (an oxygen radical) is highly reactive. It’ll just steal an electron from whatever molecule is nearby. That may be DNA or any other molecule that you’d rather keep intact. Antioxidants are helpful as electron donors, neutralizing radicals before they do damage.
This is my understanding, at least. It’s been a while since I took chemistry.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
antioxidants are our internal sacrificial anodes?
jj4211@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Ok, I’m going to make a new nutritional supplement: “oops! all electrons!”
olafurp@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Cell mechanisms cause oxidative stress in the body which can lead to inflammation and faster aging. Antioxidants provide the body with an easy way to neutralise the bi-products.
knightmare1147@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I actually thought about this a few years ago, is it possible that we age because of oxidation to some degree? Is there a way to prevent that? I thought about it, how blood can rust and just had the connecting thought but I’m not smart enough to know if there’s any actual correlation.
Winter_Oven@piefed.social 2 weeks ago
Pretty sure oxidation plays a major role in aging, but can't tell you the exact mechanism, I have no idea about it.
But about the blood rust idea, I don't think that can work, cause we don't have just iron particles that can directly interact with oxygen just floating around in our blood, we have a complex (I.e. hemoglobin) that contains significant amounts of iron, which somehow makes it really good for binding to and carrying oxygen.
Deviating a bit, carbon monoxide poisoning is really akin to suffcation iirc, cause it binds and occupies the hemoglobin, effectively reducing the amount of oxygen that can be carried by your blood.
However, do fact check me, I might be wrong about something...
Sadbutdru@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
I’m no expert but I’m fairly sure that is basically true in a way. As per zr0’s top-level comment. Forms of life that can make do with less cellular respiration, for example by using external sources to regulate temperature (cold- blooded), don’t need to invite as much oxygen into their cells, and so they get less weird damage over time. Mammals in general have not adopted this strategy.
Ledericas@lemm.ee 2 weeks ago
we have enzymes to prevent oxygen radicals from forming. such as Superoxide dismutase, which is present in nearly every cell in our body, and we have 3 different version. most oxygen dependant organisms have similar enzymes.
pewpew@feddit.it 2 weeks ago
Imagine what it can do to software
NorthWestWind@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Those damn electrons!
mariusafa@lemmy.sdf.org 2 weeks ago
It can document it!
SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 weeks ago
You think that’s bad, wait until you hear about dihydrogen monoxide!
NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 2 weeks ago
More information about this dangerous chemical: dhmo.org/facts.html
son_named_bort@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Did you know that dihydrogen monoxide kills more people than any other liquid? And yet, the government does nothing to ban it. This deadly liquid could be anywhere, even in your home!
FireIced@lemmy.super.ynh.fr 2 weeks ago
Took me some time
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
I mean, oxygen is the most aggressive oxidator, to the point we named the process after it.
burntbacon@discuss.tchncs.de 2 weeks ago
F you.
spoiler
Brought to you by the highest oxidation gang.
roguetrick@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
And if you meet flourine out on the wild, you will be F’ed.
Bosht@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I’ve currently been reducing my oxygen intake. My wife keeps telling me it’s impossible and my doc says I’ll supposedly die, but they’re just hating on my progress.
Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
This is a valid athletic technique. Usually achieved by training at altitude.
AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net 2 weeks ago
Doesn’t it only work if you then return to a lower altitude? I wonder how long the benefits last for.
Now that I think about it, I don’t actually know how this even works. Well I know what I’m going to go read about next.
Zenith@lemm.ee 2 weeks ago
I got my oxygen intake down to single digits! My family wasn’t supportive however and got me a new pair of lungs, haters
popjam@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Big O lackeys are everywhere. They want to keep you alive so they can sell you more O.
AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net 2 weeks ago
100% of people exposed to oxygen die.
Joeyowlhouse@lemmy.wtf 2 weeks ago
Wait until you read about Dihydrogen Monoxide. Everyone who has ever been exposed to it has died.
xav@programming.dev 2 weeks ago
There’s a whole website dedicated to raising awareness of its danger : www.dhmo.org
Joeyowlhouse@lemmy.wtf 2 weeks ago
The funny (and scary) thing is how many conspiracy theorists will not get the joke or realize it’s water.
icelimit@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
Wait till you hear about this greek curse called gravity.
veni_vedi_veni@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Don’t forget, water is only one atom in it’s molecular composition away from rocket fuel
chuckleslord@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Or an extremely deadly poison. Or an explosive, flammable gas.
collimated_thought@programming.dev 2 weeks ago
Statistically speaking, for humans, breathing oxygen does eventually have a 100% fatality rate.
Maeve@midwest.social 2 weeks ago
Antioxidants exist.
enkille@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
if you haven’t heard of air, it’s an invisible blend of gases so addictive, we suffer fatal withdrawal symptoms within minutes of our supply being cut off
Meron35@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Pure oxygen is actually toxic for humans, leading to hyperoxia. People who breath pure oxygen such as scuba divers need specific training.
Oxygen toxicity - Wikipedia - en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxygen_toxicity
Shayeta@feddit.org 2 weeks ago
hyper - meaning high, ox - meaning the animal Ox, -ia - meaning presence in blood.
High ox presence in blood.
CidVicious@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
andros_rex@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
To sum up - because I taught this to a kid yesterday - for a period, life photosynthesized and oxygen was toxic to most living things. There were large growths of photosynthetic Cyanobacteria that pumped the air full of oxygen. Living things at the time (like, bacteria and microbes, nowhere near vertebrates) couldn’t handle all the O2 and died.
CptOblivius@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Our lives are a balance between needing oxygen and preventing oxidation damage. We have several enzymes that constantly reduce radicals and chemicals caused by oxidation. So yes oxygen is continuously damaging us. And will eventually win.
mavu@discuss.tchncs.de 2 weeks ago
Wel, every single human who breathes Oxygen dies eventually. Just saying.
Dasus@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
It’s a decent hypothesis, but you’ll never gather enough data to convince the naysayers.
“The results just aren’t in yet, look at all the people alive”
mavu@discuss.tchncs.de 2 weeks ago
fair. I guess only history remains to prove me right.
pocker_machine@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
So to not die, we just need to stop breathing !
cRazi_man@europe.pub 2 weeks ago
Did you see what oxygen did to the Hindenburg? I’m not going to let that happen to me. Say no to big oxygen!
Dicska@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Have you ever seen asbestos catch fire? Me neither. So it’s your choice what you’d prefer breathing in.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Delicious fluorine for me please
voodooattack@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Look at what it did for the Linux kernel too.
Tap for spoiler
Ssshhh. It made it better
Itdidnttrickledown@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 2 weeks ago
You can combat dangerous oxygen with black smoke from burning oil.
roguetrick@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Life is a game of burning but trying to do it slowly.
gedaliyah@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
It makes my blood run blue just thinking about it
ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
Oxygen will burn you, that’s why we dilute it with nitrogen
KingCake_Baby@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
70-80+ years exposure to this stuff is lethal
saigot@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
I always think this when I see those annoying posts about diet coke dissolving screws.
Washedupcynic@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
Have you heard about the dangers of dihydrogenoxide?
DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Ban the wOkE government chemical Dihydrogen monoxide from our water supply! BAN DHMO, LIBERATE AMERICAN WATER FREEDOM! 🇺🇸🦅👊🇺🇲🔥🦅🇺🇸 USA! USA!
Godric@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
That’s why I chainsmoke constantly, I have to protect my lungs from oxidation.
BigBananaDealer@lemm.ee 2 weeks ago
you train your legs and arms and back, but when i train my lungs im told smoking isnt allowed in the restaurant 🙄
camelbeard@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Yeah restaurants can de pretty shitty, I have been told the same when I do my prostate cancer prevention exercises.
thefartographer@lemm.ee 2 weeks ago
This is why I feed blueberries to my chains
20cello@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Anyone else stopped breathing here?
SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 weeks ago
Ever breathe oxygen, son?
Good, don’t start. Me, I’m hooked!-Muddy Mudskipper
FuckFascism@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Great now I’m gonna stop breathing.
zr0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
Image
ouRKaoS@lemmy.today 2 weeks ago
Image
Efflixi@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
There are quite a few sci-fi stories and short stories built on a similar concept. One of my favorites is an alien ship lands on a random farm in the US and (leaving a lot of details out, read the book!) it comes to light that the aliens normally live at insanely hot temperatures like 900F (480C) and consider Earth and “Ice World” (that’s also the name of the book). Anyway, one of the catches in the book is that farmer figures out the alien wants to trade (again skipping a lot of details) but all he has on him that he can give up is a cigarette (the farmer doesn’t know it’s super hot inside the ship). He does the trade and we later find out that most of the galaxy is INSANELY vulnerable to being 100% completely utterly addicted to nicotine. When the alien took in the cigarette it instantly vaporized and sent the nicotine into the air and they breathed it and became instantly addicted worse than any opiod addiction IRL.
sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
The ‘Death Breathers’ thing is a primary plot point/story device of the ludicrous, over the top, MARS ATTACKS! from 1996.
Just any case anyone hasn't seen it and wants to avoid spoilers, don't open this
Basically, it barely makes any actual sense, and… thats part of the point, to be a parody of how stupid 50s schlock alien movies were… The Martians only breathe Nitrogen, and seem to asphyxiate if their helmets and pressure suits are removed or comprimised. This makes no fucking sense whatsoever for multiple reasons: Nitrogen is much, much less chemically reactive than Oxygen, and it seems quite unlikely that any kind of Nitrogen based metabolism could evolve basically anywhere, in any organic being, because of this… Earth’s atmosphere is like… ~70% Nitrogen. Do… they… need literally 100% Nitrogen? It… doesn’t seem like the oxygen in the atmosphere is like… causing them to internally combust/melt the way say mustard gas, chlorine gas, makes a human melt from the inside out, by nature of being way way way more chemically reactive than oxygen. What they do is act like … they’re asphyxiating, they gasp for air, not cough and vomit, eyes watering and burning/melting the way mustard gas fucks up people. Also, at one point, a ludicrouslt disguised as a human, martian… is able to go undercover, with no protective pressure suit… because they have… chewing gum, that… releases nitrogen. Again, if oxygen had a similar effect on them as chlorine gas has on us… this disguised martian should… still be basically burning/melting from being exposed to all the oxygen, and thats overlooking the ludicrousness of… nitrogen releasing chewing gum
state_electrician@discuss.tchncs.de 2 weeks ago
That’s the exact theme of many stories on r/HFY
NotSteve_@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
Unrelated but the bottom navbar in that screenshot makes me long for the Alien Blue days of Reddit. I also just miss that iOS design (along with the OS X Mavericks design)
anomnom@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Dude, I just had to use an old Mac with OS10.11 on it (I know not that old) to recover a laptop in target disk mode.
It still has the widgets!
I miss the widgets.