Antioxidants--clinical aspects

Interest in nutrition and food consumption in advanced countries has become an important instrument of active care for maintaining the population's health. Basic orientation in food composition and in topical knowledge about the effectiveness of individual nutrients in the human organism form an indispensable part of nutrition and health consciousness and it can significantly facilitate and improve activity in both professionals and non-professionals, or it can correct some subjective opinions and deep-rooted imaginations. At the end of the last century progress in molecular biological research led to better knowledge about previously unknown functions of nutrients in the metabolism and also knowledge about relationships among the individual nutrients. The interest of research institutes was concentrated on selected nutrient groups and also on vitamins. Attention was focused on verification of the role of vitamin E and beta carotene in strengthening the antioxidative capacity of the organism and immunity system as prevention against degenerative diseases, atherosclerosis and tumorous diseases. Attention was attracted to the fact that folacin acts preventively against defects of the neural tube and against hyperhomocysteinemia as an independent atherosclerosis risk factor. Also the data about the organism's needs, for example vitamins, are mostly not quite complete, especially in the sphere of detailed knowledge of their preventive effect concerning the so-called civilization diseases, their use in the organism and the reaction of the organism to their insufficient or redundant supply.