Ten misconceptions about antioxidants

•Opinions on antioxidants are highly polarized, leading to misunderstanding in the field.•Specific antioxidants may have specific effects and side effects.•With their pleiotropic modes of action, antioxidants should be considered bioactives. Oxidative damage is a common cellular event involved in numerous diseases and drug toxicities. Antioxidants prevent or delay oxidative damage, and therefore there has been extensive research into the...