What is the relation between antioxidants and the risk factors involved in chronic diseases? What are the preventive measures and possible treatments currently available in Oman…? These and other pertinent questions related to nutrition and chronic diseases were under the spotlight of the ‘Nutritional Antioxidants Therapy: A Multidimensional Perspective’ workshop, organised recently by the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Agricultural and Marine Science (CAMS), at Sultan Qaboos University, which featured 14 speakers from different disciplines. The topics covered included Antioxidants; Functional Foods; Natural Therapeutic Agents; Dietary Supplements; and Nutrition after Disease Diagnosis – in addition to emerging concepts for human chronic diseases and lifestyle modifications.
Antioxidants from Plant-Based-Diets
Presenting a paper titled ‘Antioxidants from plant-based diets and their impact on human health’, Dr Amanat Ali, Associate Professor of the Department, affirmed that available scientific evidence suggests a plausible basis to justify the link between diet, lifestyle factors and health.
“Unhealthy dietary patterns, lack of physical activity and other lifestyles related behaviours are the major causes of nutritional disorders and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This is because the traditional plant-based diets containing whole foods are being replaced with ready-made energy-dense foods containing high amounts of fat and sugar,” he stated. According to him, an adequate and well-balanced plant-based diet is the best cost-effective approach to prevent the risk of malnutrition and prevention of NCDs.
Effect of Antioxidants in Children with Malnutrition
Malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency continues to be a major risk factor for illness and death with hundreds of millions of pregnant women and young children, particularly, affected globally, stated Dr Amel Ibrahim from Nutrition Department/DGHA, Ministry of Health, Oman, in his paper on the ‘Effects of antioxidants in children with malnutrition’. “Apart from wasting, stunting and underweight, deficiencies in iron, iodine, vitamin A, vitamin D and zinc are the main manifestations of malnutrition in developing countries. In these communities, a high prevalence of unbalanced diet and infectious disease regularly unites into a vicious circle,” he explained, stressing that mineral metabolism and antioxidant status needs renewed attention.
Clinical Role of Antioxidants in Critically Ill Patients
The role of antioxidants and other key nutrients in critically ill patients is one of the most controversially discussed therapeutic interventions, observed Dr. Ruqaiya Al Balushi, Clinical Dietician at Ministry of Health’s Nutrition Department, in her paper on the clinical role of antioxidants. “Previously not much attention was given to the therapeutic role of antioxidants and other key nutrients in improving clinical outcomes in critically ill patients. However, in the last few decades, the role of these nutrients has changed grammatically from playing a supportive method to being an active therapeutic intervention,” she stated.
Oxidative Stress in Autism
40 to 50 percent of variance in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) liability might be determined by environmental factors, suggest recent reports. In his paper titled ‘Systemic Markers of Oxidative Stress in Autism’, Dr. Yahya Al Farsi, Associate Professor, Family Medicine and Public Health Department, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, SQU, however, highlighted systematic reviews and meta-analyses of environmental risk factors for ASD, which suggest that several environmental factors, including vaccination, maternal smoking, thimerosal (mercury-containing preservative used in some vaccines) exposure, and, most likely, assisted reproductive technologies, are unrelated to ASD risk.
“On the contrary, advanced parental age is associated with higher risk of ASD. Birth complications that are associated with trauma or ischemia and hypoxia have also shown strong links to ASD, whereas other pregnancy-related factors such as maternal obesity, maternal diabetes, and caesarean section have shown a less strong (but significant) association with risk of ASD.
Antioxidant Supplements
Highlighting the good, bad and the ugly facets of antioxidant supplements, Dr. Preeja Prabhakar, Consultant, Food Science and Human Nutrition, CAMS, SQU, said: “People who eat fruits and vegetables have a lower risk of heart disease and some neurological diseases and may protect against some cancers. Antioxidants, vitamin E, vitamin C, and β-carotene have long been proposed by many to be disease preventing dietary supplements… But, it is important to underline how positive findings are mostly from observational studies, so that the relationship between vitamin E supplementation and lower rates of cardiovascular disease might reflect an overall healthy lifestyle and dietary intake of supplement users, rather than a real protective effect.”
Dietary Antioxidants Supplementation and Diseases Management
Most foods high in antioxidants are also high in fibre, low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and are good sources of vitamins and minerals, making them valuable ingredients to promote overall health and well-being. While there are potentially thousands of different substances that act as antioxidants, some of the most common ones and their food sources are as follows, noted Dr Manoj KG, of Abbott Nutrition Division:
- Beta-carotene (carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, broccoli and lettuce)
- Lutein (broccoli, corn, peas and green, leafy vegetables like spinach)
- Lycopene (tomatoes, apricots, guava, papaya and watermelon)
- Selenium (fish, chicken, eggs, cheese, nuts, legumes, bread and cereal)
- Vitamin A (apricots, mangoes, carrots, broccoli, dairy products, salmon and green, leafy vegetables like spinach)
- Vitamin C (oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, strawberries, red and green peppers, broccoli, potatoes and tomatoes)
- Vitamin E (sunflower, safflower, corn and soybean oils; some nuts, such as almonds and peanuts; and green vegetables like spinach and broccoli).
Getting antioxidants through a well-balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, fish, lean meat, nuts, whole grains and legumes is always best. However, antioxidant supplements might be recommended for high risk groups of adults and children population.
