
 Originally Posted by 
MuscleScience
					 
				 
				Chronic oxidative stress has been something talked about in the exercise phys literature. Basically in the 90’s and 2000’s a alarming amount of elite level runners from tr 70’s and 80’s started dropping dead from CAD which put them in there late 40’s and 50’s. The thought was that due to the increased amount of reactive oxygen species (free radicals) produced as a byproduct of aerobic exercise. These reactive oxygen molecules were floating around oxidizing and damaging tissues. Oxygen is a highly reactive chemical and for most forms of primitive life, is very toxic. 
Because these athletes bodies was producing chronically high levels of these free radicals, they were at a similar or in some studies even, at a higher risk than sedintary adults at developing heart disease.