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Chocolate and Health pp 77–85Cite as

Polyphenolic Antioxidants and Health

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Abstract

Oxidative stress is believed to play a pivotal role in several physiologic (aerobic metabolism, immunologic responses, cellular signaling, regulation of gene expression, cell differentiation) [1] and pathologic (atherosclerosis, tumorigenesis, neurodegenerative diseases, etc.) processes. Antioxidants react with oxygen free radicals protecting the cells from oxidative stress damage. Polyphenols are the most widely known antioxidant nutrients. Polyphenols are a class of natural, synthetic, and semisynthetic substances characterized by the presence of large multiples of phenol units. The term polyphenols was proposed in 1962 by the phytochemists White, Bate-Smith, Swain and Haslam [2]. They defined polyphenols as “water-soluble phenolic compounds having molecular weights between 500 and 3000 (Da). Besides giving the usual phenolic reactions, they have special properties such as the ability to precipitate alkaloids, gelatin and other proteins from solution” [2]. Polyphenols, in the form of flavonoids, are broadly classified into anthocyanidins (e.g., cyanidin, delphinidin, malvidin), flavanols (e.g., catechin, epicatechin), flavonols (e.g., quercetin, fisetin), and flavones (e.g., luteolin) [3]. Natural polyphenols are prevalent in cocoa, fruits, vegetables, wine and tea. Flavonoids account for two thirds of the total polypenolic daily intake (approximately 1 g) [4]. After oral ingestion, flavonols undergo a biotransformation from the gut microflora generating a large variety of metabolites [4, 5]; the maximum plasma concentration of flavonols rarely exceeds 1 μM [4, 5].

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties “Sapienza”, University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Lorenzo Loffredo

Authors
  1. Lorenzo Loffredo
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  2. Francesco Violi
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Alpine Foundation for Life Sciences Olivone, Ticino, Switzerland

    Ario Conti

  2. Nutrition Foundation of Italy, Milan, Italy

    Rodolfo Paoletti  & Andrea Poli  & 

  3. Laboratory of Functional Foods, IMDEA-Food, Madrid, Spain

    Francesco Visioli

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Loffredo, L., Violi, F. (2012). Polyphenolic Antioxidants and Health. In: Conti, A., Paoletti, R., Poli, A., Visioli, F. (eds) Chocolate and Health. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-2038-2_6

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