The natural process of cellular respiration generates free radicals that are naturally regulated by the production of antioxidants in our body. Necessary for our body, they can however be harmful to it when they are produced in too large quantities, thus generating a disruption of the physiological balance. This imbalance is called oxidative stress : it is considered the major cause of cellular aging and the diseases associated with it. ( Oxidative stress in image: see the infographic )
Anne-Marie Roussel, Professor Emeritus of Metabolic and Nutritional Biochemistry at the University of Grenoble Alpes, wishes to qualify this approach and rehabilitate them:
"Free radicals are oxidative species produced during cellular respiration. Their uncontrolled production generates oxidative stress. Free radicals aren't the bad oxidants, while antioxidants are said to be the good guys. It is not a question of destroying all the free radicals. They are necessary for metabolism and certain functions. For example, they are essential for phagocytosis and antibacterial defense. However, produced in too large quantities, they lead to a disruption of the necessary physiological balance between their production and their “detoxification” by antioxidants."
Overweight, aging, metabolic syndrome and certain living conditions such as tobacco consumption, alcohol consumption, exposure to the sun contribute to an overproduction of these free radicals and therefore can lead to a situation of oxidative stress.
At the level of the skin, oxidative stress leads in particular to its premature aging but also to skin dryness, desquamation, loss of elasticity, the formation of wrinkles and the appearance of pigment spots as well as a drop in the level of collagen. Indeed, exposure to the sun corresponds to a "bombardment" of UV, which will produce free radicals in large quantities.
SuperOxide Dismutase (SOD) – discovered in 1968 – occurs naturally in the human body and sits at the top of the antioxidant pyramid . It is the most effective of all our defenses, far ahead of vitamin C or polyphenols. The only downside is that it decreases with age. SOD dietary supplements slow down the effects of aging. First used by the pharmaceutical industry of bovine origin, vegetable SOD was discovered by melon producers in the south of France, in particular in the Avignon region ( find out more ). They observe that a specific variety of cantaloupe melonskeeps much better than the others, without wrinkles or deterioration of its skin, with a shelf life three to four times longer than that of classic melons. Following this discovery, ISOCELL Laboratories approached farmers who cultivate this variety to obtain the vegetable SOD that is derived from it. This is now at the heart of the food supplement SOD GliSODin - the mainstay of the laboratory products - combined with a wheat protein (gliadin) in order to make it bioavailable.
