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The Oxidative Stress and Hormone Relationship 

The Oxidative Stress and Hormone Relationship: How They Influence Each Other and Key Strategies 

When thinking of oxidative stress, imagine rust building up on the energy-producing gears inside our cells. Oxidative stress occurs when pro-oxidant factors outweigh antioxidant factors, and we are left with a buildup of harmful free radicals that cause damage to our cells. 

You are likely familiar with antioxidants, which are nutritional compounds that are so beneficial because they neutralize free radicals and turn them from toxic to more stable, benign compounds. Certain hormones have antioxidant activity, while others naturally cause some level of free radical formation.

Oxidative stress can occur when the body does not have adequate antioxidant reserves from dietary intake or our own internal antioxidant production to neutralize oxidative stressors. It can also occur when there is excess free radical formation from internal or external factors.

This may sound like a complex topic, and it is! Today we’re breaking down the relationship between oxidative stress and hormones, and how we can leverage nutrition and exercise to combat and decrease oxidative stress!

 

What is Oxidative Stress?

With oxidative stress, the rust that metaphorically builds up on the energy-producing gears inside of our cells is actually what we call free radicals, or reactive oxygen species (ROS). These energy-producing gears are our mitochondria.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS), or free radicals, are highly reactive or unstable molecules that can alter other molecules inside the cell. These free radicals can build up inside cells and cause damage to DNA, proteins, and the cell as a whole.

Free radical, or ROS, production is driven by internal and external factors. Internally, we naturally produce free radicals as byproducts of the chemical reactions involved in different stages of metabolism. Metabolism is the process by which our bodies break down nutrients to produce energy, which happens within the mitochondria. 

Mitochondria are the starting point for hormone health and play a pivotal role in the endocrine (hormone) and immune systems. Oxidative stress has been shown to damage mitochondria and alter their function, which in turn causes more oxidative stress and inflammation. Mitochondrial dysfunction strongly impacts the thyroid, fertility, and autoimmunity!

External factors that increase free radicals in the body and contribute to oxidative stress can come from our food, environment, and other stressors. Environmental toxins, pollutants, endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), heavy metals, and mold mycotoxins can all have a significant impact on oxidative stress levels. 

Some amount of oxidative stress in the body is normal, given the internal factors that contribute to free radical formation. Hormones play an important role in regulating metabolism, and are another critical internal factor to consider, both for their pro-oxidant and antioxidant effects.

 

The Relationship Between Oxidative Stress and Hormones

Hormones are chemical signals that act within the endocrine system. They signal to different tissues in the body to initiate different functions. Hormones are responsible for regulating a wide range of processes, such as metabolism, blood sugar levels, body temperature, tissue growth, reproduction, mood, and more.

Certain hormones have antioxidant activity, meaning that they are scavengers of free radicals and neutralize these reactive oxygen species. Other hormones, alternatively, naturally cause some level of free radical formation.

Hormones with Antioxidant Properties

First, melatonin not only is useful to help regulate circadian rhythms, but it also has been shown to have significant antioxidant effects. Insulin, the main blood sugar regulating hormone, helps initiate our antioxidant defense system. In the case of diabetes, not only is insulin resistance present, but also significant oxidative stress and increased free radical production.

Estrogen and progesterone also have been seen to reduce oxidative damage by their antioxidant activity. Estrogen specifically helps modulate antioxidant enzyme activity in skeletal muscle. Progesterone has been suggested to both decrease free radical production, and increase the activity of free radical scavenging systems in the body. Progesterone’s antioxidant activity has even been shown to help improve brain function!

 

Hormones with Pro-oxidative Properties

Both hypothyroid and hyperthyroid states are associated with higher levels of oxidative stress. Thyroid hormones, T4 and T3, help dictate the speed of metabolism, and therefore ROS production. The process of T4 thyroid hormone production is an internal factor that contributes to free radical production.

Hypothyroidism, or slow thyroid function, has been shown to be associated with increased ROS production and increased levels of oxidative stress. On the other hand, hyperthyroidism has been associated with an increased pro-oxidant to antioxidant ratio, and higher accumulation of oxidatively damaged molecules that contribute to oxidative stress in a variety of different body tissues. 

Catecholamine hormones, such as dopamine and epinephrine, also known as adrenaline, have also been shown to have pro-oxidative properties. Cortisol, a glucocorticoid (steroid) hormone, and our body’s main stress hormone, directly promotes oxidative stress. Chronically elevated cortisol levels have also been linked to conditions related to excess oxidative stress such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and issue with bone density.

Testosterone, one of our main androgen hormones, has been shown to have both pro-oxidant and antioxidant effects, depending on the specific type of body tissue it’s acting on.

As you can see, an imbalance in any of these hormones can impact antioxidant and free radical status. Insufficient antioxidants, both those that we generate within our bodies and intake via food and supplementation, contributes to the build up of oxidative stress. 

 

How Oxidative Stress Impacts Hormone Levels

Oxidative stress is worsened by chronic inflammation and the various underlying drivers of inflammation! Conversely, chronic oxidative stress adds fuel to the fire of chronic inflammation.

The thyroid gland is especially sensitive to the negative effects of chronic inflammation. It is also susceptible to damage by free radicals, particularly external free radical sources such as toxins from environmental exposure, EDCs, as well as heavy metals. These ROS sources can directly damage thyroid cells and tissues and lead to downstream hormone dysfunction or imbalance.

This happens as a true cascade. Low thyroid function and many of the factors that contribute to low thyroid function also impact the efficiency of liver detoxification. If the liver is overburdened by its detoxification duties, thyroid hormone conversion in the liver can be impacted. Also impacted is the breakdown or detoxification of estrogen. Downregulated estrogen breakdown can lead to a buildup of estrogen and symptoms that are characteristic of “estrogen dominance.”

Low thyroid function also decreases progesterone levels, which furthers the imbalance between estrogen and progesterone, and exacerbates the symptoms of hormonal imbalance. This entire cascade often starts with chronic oxidative stress or chronic inflammation as a key root cause.

 

Leverage Nutrition and Exercise to Decrease Oxidative Stress 

Fighting Oxidative Stress through Nutrition

Consuming antioxidant-rich foods and supplementing with antioxidants is an impactful way to fight oxidative stress and neutralize free radicals.

Dark leafy greens, dark berries, allium vegetables (onions, garlic, etc.), high-quality extra virgin olive oil, green tea, ginger, citrus fruits, and turmeric are all packed with antioxidant nutrients. Consuming a wide variety of plant foods exposes us to different phytochemicals, which are compounds present in plants that offer a variety of health benefits. Many phytochemicals have antioxidant effects!

Particular nutrients are known for their antioxidant properties, such as vitamins C and E, as well as curcumin, the active compound in turmeric. We can get these nutrients from foods as well as supplementation in order to ensure we are consuming high enough dosages to be considered therapeutic or clinically effective.

N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) is another well-known antioxidant and precursor to glutathione. Glutathione is considered the master antioxidant in the liver, key for liver detoxification. Either of these nutrients can be supplemented for their antioxidant and liver-supportive effects.

Minerals are hormone building blocks, cofactors of hormone activation, and play critical roles in metabolism. While oxidative stress can deplete minerals, mineral deficiencies can also exacerbate oxidative stress. Certain trace minerals even act as antioxidants to combat oxidative free radicals.

Consuming a variety of mineral-rich food sources, like beans and legumes, different types of seeds, as well as animal-based proteins, can support mineral replenishment. Supplementing with a combination of minerals is another way to collectively support potentially depleted minerals.

 

The Role of Exercise in Oxidative Stress

Excessive exercise is a significant cause of oxidative stress. It’s critical to understand how exercise can either help or hinder the inflammatory and hormonal environment. 

Exercise triggers a short-term inflammatory response and spike in cortisol, which we know is a pro-oxidative hormone. Luckily, we can tailor our physical activity to be hormone-friendly, especially when it comes to the types of workouts, frequency, and intensity.

A hormone-friendly workout plan will ensure you are utilizing progressive overload to build fitness and maximize muscle activation, while minimizing oxidative stress on the body.

Optimizing nutrition before and after exercise is another critical piece of the puzzle to combat oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. We walk you through the specifics in our Inflammation Hormony group program!

 

Need Support to Help Lower your Oxidative Stress and Balance Your Hormones?

We created the Inflammation Hormony program to help you establish the foundations of addressing nutrition and lifestyle factors that are known to improve inflammation and oxidative stress levels.

We are so excited to be kicking off our next cohort on August 12!  We can’t wait to see you inside!

 

 

Written by Romana Brennan, MS, RD

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