Fermented goat milk improves antioxidant status and protects from oxidative damage to biomolecules during anemia recovery

Abstract BACKGROUND Iron deficiency anemia ( IDA ) is one of the most common nutritional problems in the world, and it is accepted that reactive oxygen species ( ROS ) production is altered during IDA . The aim of this study was to assess the influence of fermented goat and cow milks on enzymatic antioxidant activities and gene expression, and their role in protecting from oxidative damage during anemia recovery. RESULTS After feeding the fermented milks‐based diets (cow or goat), a significant elevation of some antioxidant endogenous enzymes was found, together with an increase in total antioxidant status ( TAS ), and a decrease in 8‐hydroxy‐2′‐deoxyguanosine (8‐ OHdG ) was recorded in animals consuming fermented goat milk‐based diet. In contrast, DNA strand breaks, hydroperoxides, 15‐F2t‐isoprostanes and protein carbonyl groups were lower in some tissues in animals fed fermented goat milk‐based diet, revealing an improvement in both systemic and cellular antioxidant activity of plasma and tissues due to fermented goat milk consumption. CONCLUSION Fermented goat milk consumption induces a protective increase in TAS together with lower oxidative damage biomarkers, revealing that the milk protects main cell bioconstituents (lipids, protein, DNA , prostaglandins) from evoked oxidative damage during anemia recovery. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry