/oss/taxonomy/term/1179/all en /oss/article/food-health/4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal <p>If you feed varying amounts of trans-4-hydroxy-2-nonenal to rats, they develop kidney and liver problems and some may even die. So why should anyone care? Because this substance, which we will call HNE for short, forms in our body when free radicals react with fats. We can’t avoid exposure to free radicals because they are generated when our body uses oxygen. Luckily though, we are equipped with antioxidant defenses in the form of vitamins and that can deal with these rogue substances. However, when these defenses falter, oxidative damage occurs.</p> Sun, 18 Aug 2013 14:20:23 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2001 at /oss