Role Of Oxidative Stress In Obesity With An Insight Into Type II Diabetes Mellitus Role Of Oxidative Stress In Obesity With An Insight Into Type II Diabetes Mellitus

In the present study, the antioxidant status of obese and overweight individuals was analyzed with an insight into the role of diabetes mellitus towards increasing oxidative stress in the subjects. The assay of enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) in erythrocytes and that of antioxidant vitamin C in serum was carried out. The assay of vitamin C alone cannot completely focus on the antioxidant status of the system; the Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of the serum was also assayed to give a summation of the antioxidants in the system. The study was carried out on five groups of subjects in the age group of 40-60 years. Fifty non-diabetic and non-obese subjects formed the Group A, which were designated as the Controls. The study group was categorized into 4 groups, of which, 50 overweight patients were taken as Group B and Group C consisted of 50 overweight subjects who were diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. Fifty obese individuals were considered as Group D and 50 obese subjects with diabetes mellitus were taken to be Group E. The levels of the enzyme, superoxide dismutase were significantly higher (p<0.0001) and the Total Antioxidant Capacity and vitamin C levels were significantly lower ((p<0.0001) and (p<0.0054)) respectively in the study groups, as compared to those in normal individuals, as the disease conditions like obesity and diabetes mellitus in the study groups contributed to increasing the load of the reactive oxygen species in the system, thus utilizing and depleting the dietary antioxidants.