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. 2012 Dec;16(Suppl 2):S267-71.
doi: 10.4103/2230-8210.104057.

Antioxidants and diabetes

Sarita Bajaj  1 , Afreen Khan
Affiliations

Antioxidants and diabetes

Sarita Bajaj et al. Indian J Endocrinol Metab. 2012 Dec.

Abstract

Hyperglycemia promotes auto-oxidation of glucose to form free radicals. The generation of free radicals beyond the scavenging abilities of endogenous antioxidant defenses results in macro- and microvascular dysfunction. Antioxidants such as N-acetylcysteine, vitamin C and α-lipoic acid are effective in reducing diabetic complications, indicating that it may be beneficial either by ingestion of natural antioxidants or through dietary supplementation. However, while antioxidants are proving essential tools in the investigation of oxidant stress-related diabetic pathologies and despite the obvious potential merit of a replacement style therapy, the safety and efficacy of antioxidant supplementation in any future treatment, remains to be established.

Keywords: Antioxidants; diabetes mellitus; free radicals.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress and endothelium dysfunction (Adapted from Basha B, Samuel SM, Triggle CR, and Ding H. Endothelial Dysfunction in Diabetes Mellitus: Possible Involvement of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress? Experimental Diabetes Research 2012; 2012: 481840)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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