Antioxidants clinical definition

A native of the American Southwest, and a traditional medicine of Native Americans, a tea made from the leaves and twigs contains the lignan named nordihydoiguaiaretic acid (NDGA). Considered the active ingredient, it has powerful antioxidant properties. The leaf extract of a South American subspecies was in fact found to inhibit cancer growth. In any event, there are reports of liver damage from its use. Definitive human clinical trials await. 

In conclusion, although it is yet to be definitively shown, much evidence supports a link between oxidation of lipoproteins and arteriosclerosis in human beings. If this relationship can be conclusively demonstrated, it is likely there will be a need to measure lipoprotein oxidation products in the clinical laboratory for risk assessment. Establishing a definitive link between oxidation and arteriosclerosis is not a simple task because not only will it be necessary to demonstrate that oxidation is a risk factor for arteriosclerosis in large prospective studies, but it will be important to show it is a marker independent of lipoprotein and inflammatory markers. Furthermore, it would be desirable to identify treatments by which modification of oxidation markers leads to reduction in disease (SI). To date, the failure of randomized trials with antioxidant nutrients to retard arteriosclerosis (Al, Y3) has made it clear that demonstrating a definite relationship in humans may be more difficult that expected. In the meantime, there is a need to measure these... 

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