Dietary antioxidants

The effect of dietary intake of the antioxidants ascorbate, tocopherol, and carotenoids is difficult to disentangle by epidemiological studies from other important vitamins and ingredients in fruits and vegetables.

Nevertheless, several arguments suggest that the antioxidants content of fruits and vegetables is a major contributor to their protective effect.

1) Biochemical data, discussed above shows that oxidative damage is massive and is likely to be the major endogenous damage to DNA, proteins, and lipids.

2) Studies showing that oxidative damage to sperm DNA is increased when dietary ascorbate is insufficient

3) Epidemiological studies and intervention trials on prevention of cancer and heart disease in people taking antioxidants supplements are suggestive, though larger studies need to be done. Clinical trials using antioxidants will be the critical test for many of the ideas.

4) Studies on oxidative mechanisms and epidemiology on antioxidants protection for individual degenerative diseases.

Small molecule dietary antioxidants such as Vitamin C (ascorbate), Vitamin E (tocopherol), and carotenoids have generated particular interest as anticarcinogens and as defenses against degenerative diseases. Most carotenoids have antioxidants activity, particularly against singlet oxygen and many, including ß-carotene, can be metabolized to Vitamin A (retinal)

We have called attention to a number of previously neglected physiological antioxidants including urate, bilirubin, carnosine, and ubiquinol. Ubiquinone (CoQ10), for example, is the critical small molecule for transporting electrons in mitochondria for the generation of energy. Its reduced form, ubiquinol, is an effective antioxidants in membranes.

Optimal levels of dietary ubiquinone/ubiquinol could be of importance in many of the
degenerative diseases.

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