Free radicals play a pivotal role in the etiology of different diseases,
including diabetes mellitus (DM). In the past three decades, the understanding of the
fundamental role of free radicals in the etiology and disease progression of DM was
studied broadly. This chapter aimed to enumerate the recent progress in the areas of
free radical biology for the management of DM. Free radicals, as well as reactive
oxygen species (ROS), having extra electrons in their outer orbitals, react with all
biomolecules, including “protein, lipids, and DNA,” causing oxidative stress and
damage. DM is also associated with oxidative stress induced by the elevated production
of free radicals or reduced antioxidant activity. Recently, the importance of an
antioxidant rich diet, yoga, and exercise has been well documented for the management
of DM. Studies confirmed that exercise-induced ROS is an acute effect, while the
chronic effect of exercise produces endogenous antioxidant defences and promotes a
state of endogenous antioxidant defence mechanism. Therefore, regulating oxidative
stress will lead to a significant future area of research for DM disease management.
Keywords: Antioxidant, Diabetes Mellitus, Oxidative damage, Oxidative stress, Reactive oxygen species.
