ABSTRACT
The interactions of primary importance among lipids, vitamins, and minerals are those affecting the oxidative stability of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and other unsaturated lipids. Oxidative deterioration of PUFA in foods and in the body shares certain commonalities with re spect to the initial products of oxidation, catalysis by metal ions, and in hibition by antioxidants, but there are important mechanistic differences arising from the involvement of enzymes in oxygen free radical me tabolism in vivo, as well as in the biological consequences of lipid oxida tion in living and nonliving systems. The chief significance of autoxidation of food lipids lies in the accompanying deterioration in flavor and nutritional quality rather than in the toxicity of the products formed. In contrast, lipid oxidation in vivo can result in pervasive biological damage. To protect against such damage, living organisms have developed a com plex antioxidant defense system. Lack of one component of this system
can result in tissue damage, disease, and death. The focus of research in this field in recent years has been on factors affecting the generation and metabolism of the free radicals of molecular oxygen that catalyze lipid peroxidation in vivo and on the biological impact of its products.
