University of Ljubljana, Laboratory of Oxidative Stress Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, Zdravstvena Pot 5, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2013;2013:956792. doi: 10.1155/2013/956792. Epub 2013 Apr 29.
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.
自由基损伤与许多退行性疾病的形成有关，包括癌症、心血管疾病、白内障和衰老。过多的活性氧（ROS）的形成会诱导氧化应激，导致细胞损伤，最终导致细胞死亡。因此，细胞有抗氧化网络来清除过多产生的 ROS。ROS 的产生和清除之间的平衡通常会导致体内的稳态；然而，这种平衡会向自由基的形成方向发生某种程度的偏移，从而导致细胞损伤的累积。抗氧化剂可以减轻 ROS 在体外的损伤作用，并延缓许多导致细胞衰老的事件。在过去的几十年里，多种维生素/矿物质补充剂（MVM）的使用迅速增长。一些最近的研究表明抗氧化治疗没有效果；有时摄入抗氧化剂甚至会增加死亡率。氧化应激对机体既有损伤作用，也有有益作用，因为一些 ROS 是细胞信号通路中的信号分子。在这种情况下，通过抗氧化补充剂降低氧化应激水平是没有益处的。ROS 和抗氧化剂之间的平衡是最佳的，因为氧化和抗氧化应激的两个极端都是有害的。因此，在开抗氧化补充剂之前，需要准确确定个体的氧化应激水平。
