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European research on the functional effects of dietary antioxidants

EUROFEDA has brought together many of the leading European scientists, from both academia and industry, to review the current knowledge on dietary antioxidants and their effects on human health. The approach has been to set up Task Groups focusing on three areas where research has been active in the recent past, and will be essential to future progress. These cover the issues of bioavailability, (bio)markers, and the role of ROS in gene induction and mitochondrial function.

There is no evidence

Bioavailability

Understanding of the factors that constrain dietary antioxidant release from the foods, the extent of their absorption and their ultimate fate is crucial to the comprehension of their mechanisms of action and role in disease prevention. There are distinct population differences in the absorption and/or turnover of dietary antioxidants, and there is insufficient information available regarding their metabolism, tissue and sub-cellular distribution, and their metabolites, to know what are

Biomarkers

Although clinical endpoints relate directly to a disease, studies collecting this information are time-consuming and expensive. The clinical symptoms of a disease are endpoints in themselves, but are not suitable in many cases for early detection and, therefore, prevention of disease. The only alternative, therefore, is a validated series of biomarkers linking disease development, progression and outcome. There are inherent strengths and weaknesses in the different biomarkers currently

ROS, gene induction and mitochondrial function

Some dietary components have biological activities that are not direct antioxidant effects (e.g. glucosinolates) and it is becoming increasingly evident that other compounds (e.g. vitamins C and E, and the carotenoids) may also have bioactivities separate from their classical direct antioxidant role. Although there is evidence from studies in vitro that suggests oxidant-regulated changes in gene expression can be modified by antioxidants, whether dietary antioxidants are capable of exerting the

Future research needs

The nature of the challenges facing nutritional research is such that there will need be a major investment of resource in multi-disciplinary, collaborative research efforts. The work of EUROFEDA has identified crucial areas for future research in bioavailability, biomarkers and gene expression. Critical among these is understanding how food processing and preparation influences the release and uptake of dietary components from the food matrix. Existing biomarkers need to be improved with

Acknowledgements

The EUROFEDA project was conceived, in part, through the enthusiasm and commitment of Tony Diplock, formerly Professor of Biochemistry at Guy's Medical School, University of London. Tony made major contributions to antioxidant research throughout a long and distinguished career, and despite his retirement, Tony was looking forward to continuing the strategic development of this area of research, which is of major importance to a number of nutritional and clinical issues. Sadly for us all, Tony

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