Carnosine Helps Stressed Cells Maintain Antioxidant Status

Your antioxidant defense system is constantly tested, day in and day out.  The ability of your antioxidant defense system to keep up the multiple types of demands your body is experiencing determines your quality of health and risk for disease.  Carnosine is one example of a stellar antioxidant that helps your body’s antioxidant enzyme systems maintain their composure under stress.

Every cell in your body requires adequate antioxidants for optimal function and defense against stressful demands of any type.  There are many different types of antioxidants in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dietary supplements.  These all work as a team, synergistically attempting to fortify the overall antioxidant enzyme systems of your body.  If primary enzyme systems lose their capacity to deal with your daily needs, then free radical chain reactions start damaging your body and health decline soon follows.

Some antioxidants stand out above others in terms of their ability to keep your antioxidant enzymes working when they are placed under conditions of high stress.  Carnosine is one example.

In a recent cell study human immune cells were exposed to carbon tetrachloride, seriously damaging them by rapidly depleting the antioxidant defense system of the cells.  Key antioxidant enzymes were compromised, including gluathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and super oxide dismutase (SOD).  Carnosine treatment of the cells prevented the damage and maintained the optimal function of all of these antioxidant enzyme systems.  The researchers concluded, “These results suggest that carnosine could provide anti-oxidative and anti-genotoxic protection for the oxidative and genotoxic agents that cause many diseases including cancer and neurodegenerative disease.”

In another study, stroke was induced in young rats.  Those given carnosine had far less tissue and free radical damage, meaning significant protection against brain damage from a low oxygen condition.  Once again, the data showed that key antioxidant enzyme function was maintained by carnosine.

These studies indicate that carnosine can help maintain more optimal antioxidant enzyme function when individuals are under high stress or in poor health.  This could help individuals stem the tide of a poor health trend, helping them to move back in the direction of health.