Environmental pollution, cigarette smoke, bad diet, alcohol abuse, inadequate physical exercise, chronic consumption of medicines, infections,… these are only some causes of oxidative stress.

The oxidative stress is a chemical stress caused by an unbalance between pro-oxidants and antioxidant system. In particular the oxidative stress is caused by an excess of free radicals in the body.

The free radicals play important functions for our body – such as the elimination of pathogenic bacteria, the regulation of blood pressure, the transmission of signals – but if they are in excess they can attack vital biological molecules (such as cell membranes lipids, enzymatic proteins and even DNA, depositary of genetic information).

Therefore the excess of free radicals can further the appearance or accelerate the progression of very common diseases, such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, heart attack, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, ulcerative colitis, pancreatitis, obesity, diabetes, chronic bronchitis, rheumatoid arthritis and some kind of tumors.

Moreover  an increase of free radicals - often secondary to a deficiency of antioxidants, however  widely present in fruits and vegetables - may contribute to the premature aging of the organism.