Oxidative stress, defined as an imbalance between the rate of
formation and the rate of clearance of reactive oxygen and
nitrogen species (RONS),8 is thought to be a key mechanism in
the aging process (1–3) and in a variety of age-related chronic
diseases, including atherosclerosis (4), cancer (5), diabetes (6),
and Alzheimer’s disease (7,8). We have recently shown that
healthy older adults have an impaired capacity to resist
oxidative damage after exposure to an acute stress [forearm
ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)] compared with young adults (9).
This impairment may account for the greater morbidity and
mortality of older adults compared with young adults during
trauma, infections, or surgery, as well as their increased
susceptibility to cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disease.