Antioxidative effects of sulfurous mineral water: protection against lipid and protein oxidation.

Objectives:To investigate the antioxidative properties of sulfurous drinking water after a standard hydropinic treatment (500 ml day−1 for 2 weeks).Subjects/Methods:Forty apparently healthy adults, 18 men and 22 women, age 41–55 years old. The antioxidant profile and the oxidative condition were evaluated in healthy subjects supplemented for 2 weeks with (study group) or without (controls) sulfurous mineral water both before (T0) and after (T1) treatment.Results:At T1, a significant decrease (P<0.05) in both lipid and protein oxidation products, namely malondialdehyde, carbonyls and AOPP, was found in plasma samples from subjects drinking sulfurous water with respect to controls. Concomitantly, a significant increment (P<0.05) of the total antioxidant capacity of plasma as well as of total plasmatic thiol levels was evidenced. Tocopherols, carotenoids and retinol remained almost unchanged before and after treatment in both groups.Conclusions:The improved body redox status in healthy volunteers undergoing a cycle of hydropinic therapy suggests major benefits from sulfurous water consumption in reducing biomolecule oxidation, possibly furnishing valid protection against oxidative damage commonly associated with aging and age-related degenerative diseases.European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2009) 63, 106–112; doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602892; published online 22 August 2007 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]