ABSTRACT
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 The Biochemistry of Antioxidants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Exogenous and Endogenous Sources of Antioxidants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 The Dynamic Balance of Oxidation and Reduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Quantifying Oxidative Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Antioxidants and Athletic Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Antioxidants and Oxidative Stress in Musculoskeletal Disease and Aging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Antioxidants and Oxidative Stress in Pre-and Postoperative States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Antioxidants and Oxidative Stress in Obesity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
What are antioxidants? What role do they play in musculoskeletal health? What is oxidative stress? How does it affect musculoskeletal health? In this chapter, we seek to address these questions and to provide the most up-to-date information on the subject of antioxidants and musculoskeletal health. This chapter is divided into three sections. The first section covers antioxidant biochemistry, dietary sources of antioxidants, and the detection of antioxidant compounds in humans. The second defines oxidative stress, discusses the dynamic balance between oxidation and reduction in the body, and describes methods for the measurement of oxidative stress. The third section discusses the known and potential effects of antioxidants on musculoskeletal health in relation to athletic performance, disease, obesity, and aging.
