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Tidskrift

Sammanfattning

Plant-based food items are rich in phytochemicals. It is interesting that the majority of these have antioxidant properties. It has been suggested that the protective effects that a diet rich in fruit and vegetables exert, with respect to disease development, may be due to the high content of dietary antioxidants. However, the majority of RCT using antioxidant supplementation demonstrates no protective effect against disease. Paradoxically, in sub-groups a higher incidence of severe disease, as well as mortality, has been observed following supplementation with pharmacological doses. An association between supplemented dose and mortality has been observed, suggesting that supplementation in the physiological range may exert beneficial effects. Although phytochemicals may have excellent antioxidant properties, these may also exert additional biological activities. Possible mechanisms related to disease pathology are suggested. It is plausible to assume that the protective effect exerted by dietary phytochemicals is a combination of several of the suggested mechanisms.

MeSH