Health Promotion by Antioxidants

ABSTRACT:Background: Various antioxidnats from daily foods are expected to prevent lifestyle-related diseases. For example, natural carotenoid beta-cryptoxanthin seems to be a promising antioxidant, and based upon epidemiological data it was shown to be a possible cancer preventing agent. For this reason, we chose to study beta-cryptoxanthin more extensively.Methods and Results: From the result of clinical trial using beta-cryptoxanthin-enriched Mandarin orange juice, it was proven to potentiate the preventive activity of multi-carotenoid mixture against liver cancer in the patients with chronic viral hepatitis-induced liver cirrhosis. Furthermore, beta-cryptoxanthin also has preventive activity against alcohol-induced gamma-GTP elevation, and obesity.Conclusion: An antioxidant beta -cryptoxanthin seems to be valuable for health promotion.