Oxidative stress and potential interventions to reduce oxidative stress in overweight and obesity

<jats:p><jats:bold>Purpose: </jats:bold>Obesity may be a state of chronic oxidative stress. Oxidative stress may be the mechanism underlying the development of co‐morbidities in obesity. This review provides a summary of the available evidence regarding systemic oxidative stress in young, older and clinical obese populations.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Methods: </jats:bold>Medline was searched for all available articles published between 1975 and 2006 that evaluated oxidative stress biomarkers in resting conditions or following various interventions in overweight and obese humans.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Results: </jats:bold>Obesity elevates oxidative stress in young, old and clinical populations as shown by elevations in lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde, hydroperoxides, 4‐hydroxynonenal, isoprostanes, conjugated dienes) or protein oxidation (8‐hydroxy‐deoxyguanosine). Lipid peroxidation is associated with several indices of adiposity and a low systemic antioxidant defence (i.e. antioxidant enzymes, tissue dietary antioxidants, glutathione). Oxidative stress may be exacerbated with acute exercise, advancing age or co‐existing clinical conditions and may be corrected by improving antioxidant defences through fat volume reduction via surgery, pharmacological agents, exercise and/or dietary modification.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Conclusion: </jats:bold>Oxidative stress is related to chronic disease in obesity, but is reversible with one or more interventions described above.</jats:p>