Achieving the Balance between ROS and Antioxidants: When to Use the Synthetic Antioxidants
Open Access
- 29 April 2013
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Hindawi Limited in Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity
- Vol. 2013, 1-11
- https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/956792
Abstract
Free radical damage is linked to formation of many degenerative diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, cataracts, and aging. Excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation can induce oxidative stress, leading to cell damage that can culminate in cell death. Therefore, cells have antioxidant networks to scavenge excessively produced ROS. The balance between the production and scavenging of ROS leads to homeostasis in general; however, the balance is somehow shifted towards the formation of free radicals, which results in accumulated cell damage in time. Antioxidants can attenuate the damaging effects of ROS in vitro and delay many events that contribute to cellular aging. The use of multivitamin/mineral supplements (MVMs) has grown rapidly over the past decades. Some recent studies demonstrated no effect of antioxidant therapy; sometimes the intake of antioxidants even increased mortality. Oxidative stress is damaging and beneficial for the organism, as some ROS are signaling molecules in cellular signaling pathways. Lowering the levels of oxidative stress by antioxidant supplements is not beneficial in such cases. The balance between ROS and antioxidants is optimal, as both extremes, oxidative and antioxidative stress, are damaging. Therefore, there is a need for accurate determination of individual's oxidative stress levels before prescribing the supplement antioxidants.Keywords
This publication has 96 references indexed in Scilit:
- Critical review: vegetables and fruit in the prevention of chronic diseasesEuropean Journal of Nutrition, 2012
- Reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis and redox regulation in cellular signalingCellular Signalling, 2012
- Fruit and vegetable intake and mortality from ischaemic heart disease: results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Heart studyEuropean Heart Journal, 2011
- Is the oxidative stress theory of aging dead?Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - General Subjects, 2009
- Antioxidants prevent health-promoting effects of physical exercise in humansProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2009
- Pro-inflammatory cytokines increase reactive oxygen species through mitochondria and NADPH oxidase in cultured RPE cellsExperimental Eye Research, 2007
- Oxidative stress and aberrant signaling in aging and cognitive declineAging Cell, 2007
- Oxidative Stress, Accumulation of Biological 'Garbage', and AgingAntioxidants and Redox Signaling, 2006
- Antioxidant supplements for prevention of gastrointestinal cancers: a systematic review and meta-analysisThe Lancet, 2004
- Effects of a Combination of Beta Carotene and Vitamin A on Lung Cancer and Cardiovascular DiseaseThe New England Journal of Medicine, 1996