Oral Antioxidant Nutrients

In light of new research on the importance of these vitamins to overall health, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in Washington, D.C., recently released new dietary guidelines for intake of the antioxidant nutrients vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, and selenium. In addition, a variety of other nutrients are believed to be involved in antioxidant processes.According to the IOM, a dietary antioxidant is defined as “a substance in foods that significantly decreases the adverse effects of reactive species, such as reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, on the normal physiological function in humans” [43].