Polyphenols - important antioxidants in diet

Polifenoli su sekundarni biljni metaboliti koji prvenstveno biljci služe u obrani od patogena i UV-zračenja. U prirodi postoji više od 8000 polifenolnih spojeva od kojih su flavanoidi najbrojnija skupina. Upravo zbog široke rasprostranjenosti značajno su prisutni u ljudskoj prehrani. Njihovo najvažnije svojstvo je to što djeluju na slobodne radikale, štiteći tako stanice od raznih oksidacijskih oštećenja. Osim antioksidacijskog djelovanja, polifenoli imaju značajnu ulogu u borbi protiv kardiovaskularnih bolesti, raka te neurodegenerativnih bolesti. U radu je opisana kemijska struktura polifenola, apsorpcija, antioksidacijsko djelovanje te njihova prisutnost u pojedinim namirnicama.Polyphenols are a secondary plant metabolites that primarily serve to defend plants against pathogens and UV radiation. There are more than 8000 polyphenolic compounds in nature, of which flavanoids are the most numerous group. Precisely because of their wide distribution, they are present in the human diet. Their most important property is their role in neutralization of free radicals, thus protecting cells from various oxidative damage. In addition to antioxidant activity, polyphenols play a significant role in the fight against cardiovascular disease, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. This thesis describes the chemical structure of polyphenols, absorption, antioxidant activity and their presence in certain foods