Videos

Oxidative Stress in Health and Sport: Potential Applications of Nutrition

Publication Date: 22 May 2025

Presenter(s): José López Chicharro, MD, PhD; Iñigo Pérez Castillo, PhD; Philip J Atherton, PhD, AFHEA; Juan Mielgo Ayuso, PhD

An imbalance between oxidative molecules and antioxidant defenses, characterized by elevated levels of free radicals, is known as oxidative stress. Free radicals are unstable molecules that play significant roles not only in health but also in sports performance. While low levels of free radicals can positively contribute to maintaining cellular homeostasis and promoting adaptations to exercise training, excessive oxidative stress is associated with age-related diseases, tissue damage, and impaired recovery from exercise. Nutritional interventions are the best tool available to modulate oxidative stress in both the general population and athletes. However, how these interventions can be tailored to prevent or mitigate chronic oxidative stress without compromising training outcomes remains an active area of research. In this video, Philip J Atherton, PhD, AFHEA, introduces the biological basis of free radicals, discusses the impact of oxidative stress on health and disease, and explores nutritional strategies to counteract it. Dr Mielgo Ayuso, PhD, explains the influence of exercise on oxidative status and how oxidative stress modulates training adaptations. He also examines dietary and nutritional strategies aimed at reducing its harmful effects in response to exercise and provides practical guidance for applying these strategies in elite athletes.

Originally presented as a live seminar Auditorium Florentino Pérez Real Madrid City, Valdebebas, Madrid, Spain on 18 November 2024.

Presenter Bio(s):

José López-Chicharro, MD, PhD

Full Professor, Physiology of Exercise
Complutense University of Madrid
Real Madrid Medical Services
Madrid, Spain

Íñigo M Pérez-Castillo, PhD

Scientist
Abbott Nutrition Research & Development
Granada, Spain

Philip Atherton, PhD, BSc, AFHEA

Chair of Molecular Medicine
Centre of Metabolism, Ageing & Physiology (CoMAP)
Academic Unit of the IRIS School of Medicine
University of Nottingham
Royal Derby College
Derby, England, UK

Dr Philip J. Atherton is a Professor and Chair of Clinical, Metabolic, and Molecular Physiology at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. He received a 1st Class BSc degree and a higher PhD degree (in 2005) from the University of Central Lancashire, focusing on protein metabolism, myogenic signaling, and gene expression regulation in skeletal muscle. His current research involves an expansive combination of detailed pre- and clinical molecular physiology with the application of stable isotope methodologies and the integration of OMIC techniques to discover predictors of the mechanistic basis for, and how to mitigate, musculoskeletal declines in aging and various related diseases.

Prof. Atherton, with a H-index of 57 and ~15,000 citations, has published around 150 peer-reviewed articles and 6 invited book chapters. He is a senior editor for Experimental Physiology, Applied Physiology, Nutrition & Metabolism, and Nutrients, journals.

Juan Mielgo Ayuso, PhD

Full Professor of Physiology 

Secretary of the Spanish Society of Nutrition
University of Burgos
Burgos, Spain

Category
Adult General Nutrition