[Oxidative stress].

Oxidative stress is defined as an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the antioxidant network, in favour of the former. Our lifestyle (smoking, alcoholism, obesity, intense physical exercise), but also our inadequate diet, contributes to significantly increase the production of ROS in our organism. This is potentially associated with an increased risk of developing ageing-related pathologies such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. As a matter of prevention, it is necessary to have in hands a high technology allowing to correctly evidence the oxidative stress status of an individual in order to render optimal our antioxidant defences and to decrease the oxidative damages in DNA, proteins and lipids.