Table 1.
Roles of nutritional antioxidants in human diseases and aging.
| Nutritional antioxidant | Common dietary sources | Supplemental effects on human diseases or aging |
|---|---|---|
| Anthocyanin | Strawberries, black rice (Peng et al., 2014; Winter et al., 2017). |
• Alleviated astrogliosis and preserved neuromuscular junctions and muscle function in ALS (Winter et al., 2017). |
| • Extended lifespan in animal models (Peng et al., 2014). | ||
| Lipoic acid | Muscle meats, kidney, liver, and heart; low content in fruits and vegetables (Shay et al., 2009). | • Protected neurons against OS-induced mitochondrial dysfunction (Moreira et al., 2010; Zuo and Motherwell, 2013). |
| Lycopene | Tomatoes, watermelon, papaya, apricot, and pink grapefruit (Sesso et al., 2005; Wood et al., 2012). | • Improved clinical asthma outcomes by suppressing airway inflammation (Wood et al., 2012). |
| • Reduced LDL oxidation in blood (Ignarro et al., 2007). | ||
| • Intake of lycopene was inversely correlated with CVD incidence (Kohlmeier and Hastings, 1995; Arab and Steck, 2000; Rao and Agarwal, 2000). | ||
| Melatonin | White mustard (seed), black mustard (seed), almond (seed), celery, walnuts, sweet corn, rice (Bonnefont-Rousselot and Collin, 2010). |
• Attenuated OS-related lung deterioration in lung diseases (Gumral et al., 2009). |
| Phytochemicals | Fruits (Mazo et al., 2017) | • Potentially prevent or delay the development of PD (Mazo et al., 2017). |
| Polyphenols | Fruit, vegetables, coffee, tea, and cereals (Ignarro et al., 2007). |
• Higher polyphenol intake was linked with reduced risk of CVD (Vita, 2005). |
| • Anti-cancer activity against lung, breast, tongue, gastric, larynx, colon, and prostate cancers (Manikandan et al., 2012; Sak, 2014). | ||
| • Extended lifespan in animal models (Peng et al., 2014). | ||
| Resveratrol | Purple wine and peanuts (Anekonda, 2006). | • Protected neurons from Aβ and OS-induced toxicity (Anekonda, 2006; Bellaver et al., 2014). |
| Selenium | Tuna, oyster, salmon, eggs, green peas, pepper, onion, pork, beef (Navarro-Alarcon and Cabrera-Vique, 2008). | • A combination of selenium and vitamin E protected against oxidative damage in the colon of rats with ulcerative colitis (Bitiren et al., 2010). |
| Theaflavins | Black tea (Peng et al., 2014). | • Extended lifespan in animal models (Peng et al., 2014). |
| Vitamin A | Eggs, dairy products, orange-colored fruits, green leafy and yellow-colored vegetables (Tang, 2010). | • Intake of vitamins A and C was inversely associated with the incidence of asthma (Allen et al., 2009). |
| Vitamin C | Strawberry, Grapefruit, broccoli, and orange (Proteggente et al., 2002). |
• Reduced airway inflammation and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction in asthma (Tecklenburg et al., 2007). |
| • Intake of vitamins A and C was inversely associated with the incidence of asthma (Allen et al., 2009). | ||
| Vitamin D | Fatty ocean fish, sunlight (Holick et al., 2011). | • Improved respiratory muscle function and exercise capability in COPD (Hornikx et al., 2012). |
| • Increased the bone mineral density and reduced the risk of hip and other fractures in the elderly (Lips, 2001). | ||
| Vitamin E | Wheat germ oil, sunflower oil, hazelnut, and almonds (Reboul et al., 2006) | • Reduced the incidence of CVD death and non-fatal myocardial infarction (Stephens et al., 1996). |
| • Attenuated functional decline associated with AD (Sano et al., 1997). | ||
| • A combination of vitamin E and coenzyme Q10 improved energy generation in some cases of Friedreich ataxia (Lodi et al., 2001). | ||
| • A combination of selenium and vitamin E protected against oxidative damage in the colon of rats with ulcerative colitis (Bitiren et al., 2010). |
Aβ, amyloid-β; AD, Alzheimer disease; ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CVD, cardiovascular diseases; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; OS, oxidative stress; PD, Parkinson’s disease.