Antioxidants are present naturally or added to foods to ensure the quality of the food. Dietary antioxidants have been linked to the onset of many diseases. For example, consumption of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables - major sources of dietary antioxidants including tocopherols, carotenoids, polyphenols, and vitamin C - is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
Are there beneficial effects of dietary antioxidants beyond dietary recommendations ? The existing evidence does not seem to support the use of antioxidant supplements containing beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, or selenium. On the other hand, botanical preparations with claims on antioxidant functions are largely available for the consumers.
In substantiation of a health relevance of an antioxidant a major challenge is the use of generally accepted biomarkers. Demonstration of antioxidant property in vitro is not necessarily a physiologically relevant mechanism in vivo. It is also of importance to note that most of the dietary antioxidants exhibit biological activities beyond the classical antioxidant properties.
The Lipidforum seminar in Helsinki, Finland on
“Antioxidants – for quality and health”
aims to discuss all these relevant issues concerning antioxidants in our diet.
More info (pdf) |
