Antioxidant protection against cosmic radiation-induced oxidative stress at commercial flight altitude.

It is proposed that at the commercial flight altitude the cosmic radiation affects the human body and induces the oxidative stress. This review presents data to support this idea and also cumulates the information to provide the basis for antioxidant supplementation in persons that travel by plane at high altitudes. The conclusion is that the heterogeneity of cosmic radiation can produce different effects on human body through different mechanisms and the prophylactic treatment with antioxidants can reduce the oxidative stress generated by the radiation exposure.