Scientists from Kansas State University report data from animal studies that suggests some antioxidants may deplete the body of compounds such as hydrogen peroxide, which plays a role in relaxation of blood vessels.
“Antioxidant is one of those buzz words right now,” said Steven Copp, a doctoral student. “I think what a lot of people don't realize is that the antioxidant and pro-oxidant balance is really delicate. One of the things we've seen in our research is that you can't just give a larger dose of antioxidants and presume that there will be some sort of beneficial effect. In fact, you can actually make a problem worse.”
The student said that, while there is a potential for antioxidants to reverse or partially reverse some of those changes that result from ageing or disease, studies from Kansas State labs indicated that oxidants such as hydrogen peroxide are helpful to increase blood flow.
“We're now learning that if antioxidant therapy takes away hydrogen peroxide – or other naturally occurring vasodilators, which are compounds that help open blood vessels – you impair the body's ability to deliver oxygen to the muscle so that it doesn't work properly,” added Professor David Poole.
“It's really a cautionary note that before we start recommending people get more antioxidants, we need to understand more about how they function in physiological systems and circumstances like exercise,” added Poole.
The researchers have published their findings in the Journal of Applied Physiology, Respiratory Physiology and Neurobiology, Microvascular Research, The American Journal of Physiology and Experimental Physiology.
The role of antioxidants in health will be discussed more detail at the upcoming conference, NutraIngredients Antioxidants 2010: Science, Testing and Regulation. For more information about the conference, please click here.