Phenolic Antioxidants

Robin L. M. Cheung, BScH, MBA

Abstract: Oxygen. It’s a matter of life and death. Without oxygen most life on earth would cease to exist. But the same reactivity that makes it ideal for using sugars for energy can also backfire and damage the very cells that are using that energy. If allowed to run amok, oxygen can damage DNA, lipids, or proteins. Damage to DNA will either kill cells or turn cancerous. Damage to lipids causes damage to membranes. Damage to proteins inactivates enzymes. All of these effects result in serious disease.
Over time, evolution has developed ways to help mitigate this problem. Antioxidants are compounds that help protect cells from oxidative damage. They function by blocking the reactive compounds caused by oxygen. A quick glance at a drug store’s health food area will demonstrate the tremendous growth in popularity of antioxidants.
Although the popular press provides a lot of recommendations and superficial second-hand information about antioxidants, many of these reports misinterpret original research findings. It is only by referring to primary research journals critically that we can find the truth about antioxidants.
One particular class of antioxidants is the group of phenolic antioxidants. They are so called because they are based on phenol, an alcohol composed of a benzene ring and a hydroxyl group. These are particularly interesting because as recently as a few years ago, they were believed only to be important for flavour (Escarpa and Gonzales 2001).