Natural antioxidant elements consist of carotenoids, vitamins, mineral salt contained in food. These components are important to remove free oxygen derived compounds that are highly reactive and generate lipid peroxidation and DNA damage. Lipid peroxidation is one cause of lipoprotein modifications.

In particular low density lipoproteins (LDLs) are intensively modified by free radicals and several forms of altered LDL have been identified. The overall effect is an increasing likelihood to produce atherosclerotic lesions, followed by an increased risk to have cardiovascular problems. In vitro some evidences about the ability of natural antioxidants to remove free radicals have been observed, but it's not totally clear what is the significance in human, because clinical studies still are controversial. Even if some studies demonstrated a protective role of natural antioxidants against cardiovascular diseases, it’s quite difficult to evaluate the exact concentration of these components in the serum, and few dose- response studies are available up to date. Vitamin E seems particularly involved in cardiovascular disease protection because low levels of this compound have been measured in patients who had stroke or other cardiovascular problems. Unfortunately, prospective study is a limited tool to evaluate the efficacy of vitamin supplement as a tool to prevent heart failure. Further analyses must be done to ascertain the role of antioxidants in disease prevention; at this time we can still eat a lot of fruit and vegetables for our pleasure.