Who Is Deficient In Antioxidants, And How To Know It?

Dietary intakes of antioxidants act in preventing oxidative pathologies. Several segments of the general population are at risk of antioxidant deficiencies. Low antioxidant intakes, and higher antioxidant needs related to overweight, insulin resistance, ageing, smoking or oxidative pathologies such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, cancers are among the leading causes of antioxidant deficiencies. Oxidative status and antioxidant defences are assessed in animal models and human using study rationales strictly scientifically controlled, validated methodologies and evaluation of combined biomarkers. In clinical studies, monitoring oxidative stress is of great interest for diagnosis of oxidative pathologies and therapeutically antioxidant strategy. In contrast, in individuals, oxidative stress profile provides little information on the real individual need of antioxidants. The biological relevance and measurement of plasma markers of oxidative stress and antioxidant status in individuals are matter of debate, since there is little consensus concerning the selection of parameters to be determined in defined patients, and, in addition, ranges used as reference values do not actually reflect physiological but usual measured concentrations. Dietary inquiry, clinical signs related to an increased oxidative stress such as abdominal obesity, hypertension, inflammation and routine biological analyses ( glycaemia, triglycerides, CRP) as biomarkers of oxidative risk are an easier alternative way to predict an increased need of antioxidants in healthy individuals. (C) 2009 Societe franc, aise de nutrition. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.