Natural Antioxidants: An Update

Abstract

Antioxidants are the body\'s defensive mechanism against reactive oxygen species damage, which is typically caused by the different physiological activities that take place within the body. These antioxidants can be obtained from a variety of sources, including the body\'s own endogenous antioxidants and exogenous dietary sources. Generally, food items and several types of medicinal plants are considered as the sources of natural antioxidants. Natural antioxidants possess wide variety of bioassay properties like anti-cancer, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory etc. The substitution of artificial dietary antioxidants with natural ones in recent decades has increased interest in low-cost raw materials, particularly agricultural-based products, for the discovery of new antioxidants. For both natural and synthetic antioxidants, reports of biological features such as anti-allergic, anti-mutation, anti-cancer and anti-aging activity have been reported. The most significant natural antioxidants come from regularly eating fruits and vegetables, although other plant materials and agricultural waste are also major sources of antioxidants.