Abstract
There are many theories of the multifactorial precesses of aging. One of the most important represents the free radical theory.
It explains at lest several diseases and disturbancies during aging. Free radicals destroy lipids, proteins, sacharides and DNA.
Antioxidant defence decreases with age, expecially are reduced glutathion, glutathion peroxidase, catalase, carotenoids, estrogens, MG, Se, Zn and others, as well as the ability to repair the injured biomolecules. On the orther hand there is increasing of intracullular calcium oxiddized or modified LDL, products of liporeroxidation , aldehydes, oxidised proteins, homocystein, ferritin.
It is not yet satisfactory demonstrated, that antioxidants prolong the live, but they protect against premature death