Published online Aug 6, 2015. doi: 10.4292/wjgpt.v6.i3.59
Peer-review started: February 6, 2015
First decision: April 10, 2015
Revised: June 4, 2015
Accepted: June 18, 2015
Article in press: June 19, 2015
Published online: August 6, 2015
Processing time: 185 Days and 1.9 Hours
Liver diseases are a worldwide medical problem because the liver is the principal detoxifying organ and maintains metabolic homeostasis. The liver metabolizes various compounds that produce free radicals (FR). However, antioxidants scavenge FR and maintain the oxidative/antioxidative balance in the liver. When the liver oxidative/antioxidative balance is disrupted, the state is termed oxidative stress. Oxidative stress leads to deleterious processes in the liver and produces liver diseases. Therefore, restoring antioxidants is essential to maintain homeostasis. One method of restoring antioxidants is to consume natural compounds with antioxidant capacity. The objective of this review is to provide information pertaining to various antioxidants found in food that have demonstrated utility in improving liver diseases.
Core tip: The objective of this review is to provide an evidence-based update of antioxidants present in food and to describe their benefits on liver diseases.