Dietary antioxidants

• Supplemental vitamin E and/or selenium no effect at low doses
• Lots of other supplements in diet, including vitamin C, zinc, co-enzyme Q10, alpha -lipoic acid, flavonoids in various fruits and vegetables
• Need to be replenished
  • [Mandelker, JAHVMA , 41:22-24, Winter 2016]

Exercise and antioxidant activity

• Increased respiration rate increases level of natural antioxidant defenses
• Over exercising (prolonged oxidative stress) can lead to inflammation
  and disease

Fish Oils – Antioxidant or Anti-Inflammatory ?

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

• Found in fish, flax and some other plants
• Popular nutraceutical
• Long thought to act just as oxygen radical scavengers

Fish vs Meat Diets: Japanese Americans

• Japanese who eat a western diet have higher CVD and colon cancer
• Long thought to involve unsaturated fatty acids in meat
  • Arachidonic acid is substrate for COX-1 and COX-2
  • Association of COX with CVD and cancer
• But maybe due to less fish in the diet
  • DHA (omega-3 fatty acid) is converted by COX-2 to Neuroprotectin
    • Helps reduce stroke damage; may have other benefits
  • DHA actually better substrate for COX-2 than AA
  • Just beginning to be understood