Oxygen is killing us!
Written by Dzaki Al-Farid
One of the elements we have inhaled all this time can kill us, what is that? Yes, Oxygen can kill us. Although its role as the breath of life is well known, the destructive nature of oxygen is more clandestine, slowly damaging our health until symptoms appear.
Breathing is a natural characteristic of all living things, especially humans. Breathing is the process of taking in the air (oxygen) and releasing carbon dioxide, water vapor, and energy. The purpose of breathing itself is to produce energy. Energy is used for activities at both the cellular and organ levels. Apart from oxygen, the material used is food (glucose).
In one minute, the average adult human inhales as much as 7–8 liters of air. If calculated in one day, approximately an average human inhales 11,000 liters of air. The count occurs in normal activity. If on that day a person does more and more active activities, the more air they breathe will also reach 12,000 liters of air per day.
Regarding the total of about 11,000 liters of air per day that we breathe, about 20% is oxygen. This means, per day a human being inhales about 2,200 liters of oxygen. This figure, if calculated based on the price of oxygen circulating in the market, which is Rp. 25,000 per liter, if it is calculated in rupiah, the value of oxygen we breathe per day is Rp. 5,500,000.
But you know, the oxygen we’ve been breathing all this time can kill us slowly?
There is an old saying
“Good health is simply the slowest way to die.”
Oxygen is necessary for human metabolism because our metabolism is based on oxidation. It is correct to say that it kills us because, in keeping us alive, it leads us towards aging where wear and tear not only from oxidative metabolism but also exposure to natural stress and environmental factors weaken us to the point of death. On the other hand, a case could be made that oxygen, as an essential element that supports life, does not directly kill, but protects us until other long-term processes tire us out.
Oxygen kills us. Although its role as the breath of life is well known, oxygen-destroying properties are more clandestine in nature, slowly damaging our health until symptoms appear. Oxygen is an odorless gas in the air we breathe, so it is almost undetectable. Even though you lead a healthy lifestyle, you are still exposed to these toxins. Oxygen is the third most abundant element in the universe. This really couldn’t be helped.
Oxygen can destroy the cells that make up our tissues and organs, our bones, and blood. It can damage critical DNA and enzymes. This can injure and strengthen our cell membranes, making the movement of nutrients in and out of cells more challenging as well as damaging our receptors for various hormones including testosterone, insulin, and the thyroid.
We can hold our breath as long as we want, but that might create a bigger problem. Damn if you do. Damn if you don’t.
How does oxygen kill? In the same way, metal rust and half-eaten apples turn brown, by a process called oxidation or oxidative stress.
Energy requirements are something we all share in common. The process of producing energy is called metabolism and depends on the food we eat and the presence of oxygen. I’m going to give you the intricate details, but you probably already know where this process takes place. Flashback to the sixth-grade science class! Energy production takes place in the “cell power plant”, the mitochondria. The result is the energy molecule ATP.
According to Dr. Russell Blaylock in his book Health and Nutrition Secrets that Can Save Your Life, “about 95 percent of the oxygen that enters our cells goes to the mitochondria … but 3–5 percent of this oxygen comes out in the form of free radicals.” As the name implies, free radicals are actually Free. Free to wreak havoc as they act like packs of burning firecrackers that burn essential mobile devices including:
DNA: Tells your cells how to function. If your cells get the wrong instructions, malfunctions including cancer can occur.
Enzyme: Proteins that promote chemical reactions in cells. Several enzymes are responsible for damaging DNA. When free radicals oxidize DNA, these enzymes are responsible for saving it. If the enzyme self-oxidizes, the DNA is allowed to survive on its own.
Membrane: Not only are the cells enclosed in a fat (lipid) bilayer but the organelles within them, such as the nucleus and endoplasmic reticulum, also have their own fatty acid constituent membranes. Free radicals burn this membrane. This process is called lipid peroxidation and is present in more than 200 different diseases including cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS.
Oxidative stress is an unavoidable part of life. However, degenerative diseases don’t have to be our inevitable destiny. The key is figuring out why our bodies might be producing excess free radicals and also taking the appropriate action to neutralize them.
