Oxidative Damage Repair
Reversed cellular damage from oxidative stress.
TL;DR
You cannot supplement your way out of oxidative damage. Endogenous defences (glutathione, the Nrf2 pathway) plus sleep, exercise and plants do the work. High-dose isolated antioxidants can blunt training adaptation and, for vitamin E, have shown harm.
Why It Matters
Oxidative stress contributes to ageing, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegeneration — but reactive oxygen species are also essential signalling molecules. Blanket suppression is not the goal. The useful framing is repair and defence capacity: how well your Nrf2-driven enzyme systems respond, not how many antioxidant pills you swallow.
How to Measure
Biomarkers
Optimization Protocol
1) Eat 30+ different plants weekly — polyphenol variety outperforms any single isolate. 2) Cruciferous vegetables or sulforaphane 10-40mg/day to activate Nrf2, which upregulates your own antioxidant enzymes. 3) NAC 600-1200mg/day supports glutathione synthesis where need is high. 4) Do not take high-dose vitamin C or E around training — they measurably blunt hypertrophy and mitochondrial adaptation. 5) Stop smoking and moderate alcohol; both dwarf any supplement effect.
Lifestyle Levers
- •Plant diversity (30+ per week)
- •Regular moderate exercise
- •Sleep
- •Smoking cessation
- •Alcohol moderation
- •Reducing visceral fat
Supporting Supplements
Vitamin E
High-dose vitamin E supplementation does not reduce disease risk and has been associated with increased mortality and prostate cancer risk.
Sulforaphane
Sulforaphane is the most compelling option because it upregulates your own antioxidant enzymes rather than acting as a one-shot scavenger.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C corrects deficiency and supports plasma antioxidant capacity, but high doses around training blunt adaptation.
Astaxanthin
Astaxanthin lowers oxidative markers in small trials, but no meaningful clinical outcome has been demonstrated.
N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)
NAC reliably raises glutathione, the body's primary intracellular antioxidant, where synthesis is limited.
Supporting Research
Frequently Asked Questions
Typical Timeframe
Nrf2-mediated enzyme upregulation occurs within days; measurable shifts in oxidation markers take 8-12 weeks.
Research Summary
My Notes
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This information is for educational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional before starting any supplement regimen.