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What are dietary antioxidants

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What are dietary antioxidants as per park textbook 28 th edition

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Here is the complete content on Dietary Antioxidants as per Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine (p. 722):

Dietary Antioxidants

Definition

Antioxidants (AO) are substances that include both:
  • Nutrients: Vitamins E, C, beta-carotene, and selenium
  • Non-nutrients: Plant phenols, flavonoids, coumarins, benzyl isothiocyanates, caffeic acid, ferrulic acid, gallic acid, ellagic acid, and some enzymes like superoxide dismutase, catalase, and superoxide mutase
These antioxidants reduce the adverse effects of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and nitrogen species generated during physiological or pathological conditions, which would otherwise cause oxidant damage.

Role of ROS in Disease

There is well-established literature that ageing and several diet/nutrient-related chronic disorders are due to chronic exposure to ROS. ROS damage bio-molecules such as:
  • DNA
  • Proteins
  • Carbohydrates
  • Lipids
They also affect enzyme processes and genetic machinery. The oxidation products of bio-molecules accumulate with age.
Diseases linked to ROS:
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Cancer
  • Cataract
  • Diabetes
  • Neurodegenerative disorders
  • Age-related maculopathy
Chronic infections further aggravate the damage.

Sources of Antioxidants

Excellent dietary sources of antioxidants include:
  • Vegetables and fruits
  • Legumes
  • Spices
  • Beverages such as tea and wine
  • Cereals
Scientific evidence for a protective role is available mainly for vegetables and fruits in several chronic disorders.

How Antioxidants Work

Free radicals produced during tissue metabolism and their consequent damage are reduced by nutrient antioxidants. In particular, vitamins E, C, co-enzyme Q, and glutathione work in concert by recycling each other.

Dietary Recommendations

  • In healthy subjects, a balanced diet with adequate fruits and vegetables ranging 500-600 g/day will probably be sufficient to manage oxidant damage and repair cellular and tissue defects.
  • At present, the exact daily amount of antioxidants required to protect against risk factors cannot be quantitatively fixed.

High-Risk Groups

Certain population groups are at high risk of oxidant damage and may have greater antioxidant needs:
  1. Pre-mature infants
  2. Smokers
  3. Alcoholics
  4. Those exposed to environmental pollutants and carcinogens
  5. Individuals with chronic infections
  6. Those engaged in strenuous physical activity
  7. Geriatric population

Note on Supplementation

None of the randomized clinical trials conducted so far with nutrient antioxidant supplements has demonstrated a significant benefit in community trials, barring one or two major trials in high-risk populations.
- Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, p. 722
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