Wine, Diet, Antioxidant Defenses, and Oxidative Damage

Abstract

Oxidative stress is a central mechanism for the pathogenesis of ischemic heart disease and atherogenesis, for cancer and other chronic diseases in general, and it also plays a major role in the aging process. Dietary antioxidants constitute a large group of compounds that differ in mechanism of action, bioavailability and side effects. A systematic analysis of the role of the various antioxidants in chronic diseases is hampered by the difficulty of employing death or clinical events as end points in intervention studies. Therefore, valid markers for oxidative stress, which show dose response and are sensitive to changes in dietary supply of antioxidants, are potentially of great value when trying to establish healthy dietary patterns, or when one component, like red wine, is evaluated specifically. To evaluate potential oxidative stress markers we have studied the effect of different diets plus wine supplementation on antioxidant defenses and oxidative damage. In three experimental series, four groups of young male university students, one of older men and other of older women, 20-24 volunteers each, received Mediterranean or occidental (high-fat) diets alone or supplemented with red wine, white wine, or fruits and vegetables. Measurements included, leukocyte DNA 8-OH-deoxyguanosine (8OHdG), plasma 7 beta-hydroxycholesterol, TBARS and well-characterized antioxidants, and plasma and urine polyphenol antioxidants. In all experimental groups that received red wine, consumption resulted in marked decrease in 8OHdG. The changes observed in 8OHdG correlate positively with the other markers of oxidative damage, and shows a clear inverse correlation with the plasma level of well established antioxidants and with measurements of total antioxidant capacity. Urinary total polyphenol content as well as the sum of some specific plasma species also correlate inversely with 8OHdG. In conclusion, the results identify 8OHdG as a very promising general marker of oxidative stress in nutrition intervention studies in humans, and red wine shows a remarkable protective effect.

Positive association between plasma antioxidant capacity and n−3 PUFA in red blood cells from women

“…The positive association of plasma TAC with alcohol consumption in the present study is in line with results from intervention studies showing increased plasma TAC with wine consumption (32)(33)(34)(35)(36). However, the highest alcohol consumption in this study (two glasses of wine, beer, or spirits per day) was much lower than the consumption in an intervention study by van der Gaag et al (37) (four glasses/d of red wine, beer, or spirits over a 3-wk period) that had no effect on TAC.…”

Interindividual Variability in Response to Sodium Dichromate–Induced Oxidative DNA Damage: Role of the Ser326Cys Polymorphism in the DNA-Repair Protein of 8-Oxo-7,8-Dihydro-2′-Deoxyguanosine DNA Glycosylase 1

“…Furthermore, intracellular levels of both glutathione and ascorbate are negatively correlated with 8-oxo-dG levels in lymphocytes (86). In addition, plasma levels of antioxidants including ascorbate, h-carotenoids, lycopenes, and vitamin E are also negatively correlated with levels of DNA oxidation in human lymphocytes (87)(88)(89)(90). Therefore, plasma antioxidant capacity is likely to be an indicator of WBC intracellular redox status and may be related to the ability to activate sodium dichromate within the cell by the reductive antioxidants GSH and ascorbate.…”

Protective Effects of Aqueous Extract of <i>Sempervivum tectorum</i> L (<i>Crassulaceae</i>) on Aluminium-Induced Oxidative Stress in Rat Blood

“…Flavonoids have been shown to alleviate the oxidative stress by increasing the endogenous antioxidant status, protecting cells against free radicals damage by increasing resistance to oxidative stress [27].…”