Antioxidants for treatment of allergic rhinitis

Oxidative stress plays a causative role in upper airway inflammation.

Antioxidant therapies for airway inflammation may be grouped into 3 categories:

- endogenous metabolic agents

- vitamins/nutrients

- botanical extracts

Studies examining effects in upper airway inflammation are limited and primarily consist of in-vitro human and in-vivo animal models.

Human studies suggest that subpopulations affected by specific genetic, environmental, dietary factors are most likely to benefit from antioxidant therapy.

My opinion: It is too early to tell. More studies are needed but this is an area that one can keep an eye on.

References:
Novel antioxidant approaches to the treatment of upper airway inflammation. Braskett M, Riedl MA. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009 Nov 20. [Epub ahead of print].
Image source: Space-filling model of the antioxidant metabolite glutathione. Wikipedia, public domain.