ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the role of endogenous and exogenous antioxidants on physical exercise and human performance. It focuses on the need, advantages, and disadvantages of antioxidant supplements for the physically active population and gives a special emphasis on thiol antioxidants, which play a key role in cellular redox regulation. Physical exercise is a cornerstone of good health, and it also plays a key role in the primary prevention of lifestyle-related diseases. Generation of reactive oxygen species is a constant process of normal cellular function. Oxidative stress, an imbalance of the generation of reactive oxygen species and antioxidant defense capacity, and perturbation of redox control of cellular events, is closely related to physiological aging and the pathophysiology of a wide range of diseases.
