Chapter 28 - Functional foods, hormesis, and oxidative stress

Abstract

Now it is clear that solely reduction–oxidation reactions between the antioxidant and the prooxidant molecules are not a case of well-being and health. Apart from direct antioxidant mechanisms, indirect ones consisting of occupying different compensatory mechanisms should be considered. One of the health-promoting mechanisms, hormesis, involves upregulating enzymes that are needed to initiate detox pathways and/or regulate the transcription of the so-called vitagenes. Hormesis is an important component of adaptability to numerous toxins and oxidative stress and positively affects health and longevity. Moreover, there is evidence that some plant-derived compounds may have a hormetic effect. The aim of this chapter is to describe some of the hormetins in functional foods that play an important role in health, with emphasis on the effective and safe dosage, to give a clue for future research and prescription in humans to promote health and prevent age-related disease.”