Antioxidants are compounds that inhibit oxidation (usually occurring as autoxidation), a chemical reaction that can produce free radicals. Autoxidation leads to degradation of organic compounds, including living matter. Antioxidants are frequently added to industrial products, such as polymers, fuels, and lubricants, to extend their usable lifetimes.[1] Foods are also treated with antioxidants to forestall spoilage, in particular the rancidification of oils and fats. In cells, antioxidants such as glutathione, mycothiol, or bacillithiol, and enzyme systems like superoxide dismutase, can prevent damage from oxidative stress.[2]
Known dietary antioxidants are vitamins A, C, and E, but the term antioxidant has also been applied to numerous other dietary compounds that only have antioxidant properties in vitro, with little evidence for antioxidant properties in vivo.[3] Dietary supplements marketed as antioxidants have not been shown to maintain health or prevent disease in humans.[3][4]
- ^ Klemchuk, Peter P. (2000). "Antioxidants". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. doi:10.1002/14356007.a03_091. ISBN 3527306730.
- ^ Helberg, Julian; Pratt, Derek A. (2021). "Autoxidation vs. Antioxidants – the fight for forever". Chemical Society Reviews. 50 (13): 7343–7358. doi:10.1039/D1CS00265A. PMID 34037013. S2CID 235200305.
- ^ a b "Antioxidants: In Depth". National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, US National Institutes of Health. 1 November 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ Fang, Yun-Zhong; Yang, Sheng; Wu, Guoyao (2002). "Free radicals, antioxidants, and nutrition". Nutrition. 18 (10): 872–879. doi:10.1016/s0899-9007(02)00916-4. PMID 12361782.