Free- radicals (Oxygen and Nitrogen species) are formed in mitochondria during the oxidative phosphorylation. Their high reactivity, due to not-engaged electrons, leads to an increase of the oxidative stress. This condition affects above all the brain, that usually needs a large oxygen amount and in which there is the major possibility to accumulate “Reacting Species.” Antioxidant molecules are fundamental in limiting free-radical damage, in particular in the central nervous system: the oxidative stress, in fact, seems to worsen the course of neurodegenerative diseases. The aim of this review is to sum up natural antioxidant molecules with the greatest neuroprotective properties against free radical genesis, understanding their relationship with the Central Nervous System.
(1) Background: Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (FHA) can be caused by the hyper activation of neuro-endocrine responses to stress. Among other endocrine factors and hypothalamic dysfunctions, the psychophysiological stress response can very frequently lead to an inhibition of the gonadal–pituitary axis. The aim of this study was to investigate the level of neurovegetative activation in a group of young women affected by this condition. (2) Methods: Twenty-five women (mean age = 21.1 ± 4.34) with FHA were consecutively recruited. Information on psycho-physiological distress was collected through a Psychopathological assessment (with the administration of three psychometric tests) and the Psychophysiological Stress Profile (PSP). Their data were compared with a control group. (3) Results: In the PSP, the patients displayed significantly higher values compared to controls in terms of the parameters of muscle tension (sEMG), skin conductance (SCL/SCR), heart rate (HR), and peripheral temperature (PT). Furthermore, autonomic hyper-activation at rest, marked reactivity to stress, and reduced recovery were seen. Moreover, a condition characterized by psychological distress (anxiety and somatic complaints, depressed and irritable mood, obsessive-compulsive traits) emerged. (4) Conclusions: The results highlight autonomic hyper-activation in FHA, which is also associated with psychological distress. Considering that FHA is a condition that affects multiple systems between mind and body, a multimodal, multidimensional, and multidisciplinary assessment of stress is becoming an emerging need.
Objective: This preliminary study focused on the description of some dysfunctional perceptions of the body image and eating habits in a sample of young. Methods: The results obtained by 55 amateur and professional volleyball players belonging to volleyball sports clubs located in the province of Reggio Emilia were examined. The age of the sample is in a range between 11 and 44 years. The participants completed the Pisa Survey for Eating Disorders (PSED), a questionnaire aimed at examining eating behavior and the perception of one’s body image. The athletes’ height and body weight were subsequently detected through direct measurement. Conclusion: The data collected through the self-evaluation questionnaire and the measurements carried out by the study made it possible to analyze the perception of the body image and the eating habits of the volleyball players belonging to the sample and to compare them with the data in the literature. The data, albeit preliminary, allow us to confirm the existence of the discrepancy between the real body image and the desired one, in a group of young athletes, who favors the adoption of non-adaptive coping strategies to control one’s own weight and body shapes typical of the vicious circle - strict diet, bingeing episodes, compensatory behaviors - which characterizes eating disorders (ED). It is therefore considered essential that body image assessment is a practice implemented in the assessment routine of these athletes, especially in consideration of the fact that body image disturbance is a very common feature in this category and is one of the main risk factors of EDs.
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