OXIDATION, ANTIOXIDANT SUBSTANCES AND OXI DATIVE STRESS - A CRITICAL-REVIEW OF THE CONNECTION WITH AGING

The present paper aims to examine how the antioxidant defense function s are carried out in man and to what extent they are involved in the a ging process. It can reasonably be proposed that, contrasting with the case of aging-related pathological processes, modifications of either the antioxidant enzyme systems or the status of antioxidant compounds seems not to be associated with the physiological aging process. This is also true for the oxidative stress resulting from the balance betw een prooxidant and antioxidant mechanisms. Homeostatic adaptation and environment including food are of prime importance in aging and could also explain the lack of change. A better understanding of aging will result from the attention payed to the underlying molecular and cellul ar mechanisms of adaptation and to their interactions with environment al parameters.