ABSTRACT
Oxidative stress and inammation play major roles in both acute and chronic diseases (Table 11.1). The former attracted attention due to its relevance to nutrition and the expectation that common antioxidants present in food would prove to be antidotes to popular maladies. The latter presented itself as a major player due to its association with infection and immune functions. In addition, the association of “inammatory cells,” such as neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, lymphocytes, and macrophages, with the human pathophysiology has elevated the status of inammation as a more physiological disease marker. In other words, oxidative stress is expected to be attenuated by the use of antioxidants affording beneœts to humans while the inammatory stress is considered purely as a key to identifying biomarkers with little or no expectation that anti-inammatory agents would prevent chronic diseases.
