Oxidative Stress: Why It Matters As We Age

Senior’s Summary (Read This First)

• Oxygen keeps us alive, but it also creates wear and tear inside the body.
  • This wear and tear is called oxidative stress—think of it like rust forming inside your cells.
  • Too much oxidative stress is linked to heart disease, cancer, arthritis, brain decline, and aging.
  • Your body fights back using antioxidants.
  • Exercise, real food, and common-sense nutrition help keep this balance in your favour.
  • This is one more reason why fitness truly can save your life.

Oxygen is essential to life. We can’t live without it. Every breath we take allows our cells to produce energy so we can move, think, heal, and stay alive. But there’s a tradeoff.

Every time your body uses oxygen to make energy, it also produces waste products called free radicals. This happens inside the mitochondria—the power plants of your cells. In small amounts, free radicals are normal and even helpful. They assist with cell signaling and help the immune system respond to threats.

The problem begins when free radicals overwhelm the system. When there are too many of them and not enough defenses to control them, the body enters a state called oxidative stress.

An easy way to understand oxidative stress is to think of rust on a car. Over time, rust weakens metal. Oxidative stress does something similar inside the body. It slowly damages cells, tissues, and organs.

Research has linked oxidative stress to many of the conditions seniors worry about most: heart disease, cancer, arthritis, autoimmune conditions, cognitive decline, and accelerated aging. This isn’t about one single illness—it’s about the underlying environment inside the body.

The good news is that your body is not defenseless. You were built with internal protection systems. Your body naturally produces antioxidants that neutralize free radicals and repair damage before it gets out of hand.

We can support these systems through lifestyle choices. This is where exercise and nutrition come in. Regular movement improves how your cells handle oxygen and reduces excess oxidative stress. Real food—especially vegetables, fruits, and quality protein—supplies additional antioxidants that reinforce your body’s defences.

This approach fits perfectly with the principles outlined in my book, 'Fitness Saved My Life', where exercise isn’t about looking younger—it’s about functioning better for longer. Nutrition follows the same logic. It’s not about dieting; it’s about fueling repair.

If you want to explore this further, you may find these related articles helpful:
• Common Sense Nutrition – how real food supports long-term health
• Metabolic Disease – how inflammation and oxidative stress overlap
• How to Exercise Safely as a Senior – using movement to improve cellular health

At the end of the day, this is common sense health. Oxygen gives us life. Movement teaches the body how to use oxygen efficiently. Good nutrition protects us from the wear and tear that comes with living.

When we work with the body instead of against it, we raise our Aging Curve—and that’s how fitness can truly save your life.