Rong (Tsao) Cao

　　Guelph Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

　　Dietary pattern is one of the most important factors affecting health, and there is sufficient evidence showing that increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes leads to reduced risks of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic inflammation and autoimmune disorders and other degenerative diseases, all of which are considered to be caused by oxidative stress (OS). The human body has several mechanisms to counteract OS by either endogenous or exogenous antioxidants. However, the level of dietary antioxidants is generally too low to have direct antioxidant or radical scavenging effect in human tissues, organs or the circulation system due to the lack of bioavailability. Indirect effects of food bioactives related to the ability to modulate key cellular signaling pathways are recent findings that better explain the mechanism of cellular antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.  The immune-inflammatory, signaling and metabolic effects are the main pillars that physiologically connect the antioxidant phytochemicals and different chronic diseases. An in-depth understanding of the implication of food bioactives in regulating these effects is a prerequisite to developing effective dietary intervention for inflammatory disease prevention strategies.