Danilo Wilhelm Filho
Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Nutr Food Sci
An imbalance between the endogenous and nutritional antioxidants, the over generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as well as nitrogen reactive species (RNS), altogether with the detoxification of such reactive intermediates causes oxidative stress (OS). Therefore, cells must respond to this imbalance before these highly reactive species damage important cellular structures and molecules, particularly lipids, proteins, amino acids and DNA. Severe and prolonged OS can trigger apoptosis or necrosis. Numerous pathological conditions have an OS contribution usually associated with a chronic inflammation, including cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, aging processes, among others. We have studied the effect of vitamin E and C supplemented daily (vitamin E 800 mg and vitamin C 500 mg/day) for 6 months in different chronic diseases such as cardiopathy in chagasic patients, children with Down syndrome, as well as in occupational contamination measured in workers exposed to coal extraction and coal combustion. In all these patients the systemic OS detected before (baseline levels) was significantly attenuated after the antioxidant intervention. Moreover, in chagasic and Down syndrome patients, even after an interruption of 6 months of the antioxidant intervention, we were able to detect a significant and persistent effect (approximately half the values considering time zero or baseline values compared to 6 months after the supplementation), indicating the beneficial maintenance of such antioxidant intervention. These results also contribute to the controversial involvement of dietary supplementation of antioxidants in different human diseases.
