The potential benefits of a high fruit and vegetable intake on the antioxidant status and on relevant biomarkers of oxidative damage to lipids, proteins and DNA and on (functional) markers of oxidative stress were evaluated. A randomized, free living, open placebo-controlled cross-over trial of 3 wk, with a 2-wk washout period between treatments, was performed in a group of 22 male smokers with a relatively low vegetable and fruit intake using a vegetable burger and fruit drink. The vegetable burger and fruit drink increased serum levels of vitamin C, alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin and plasma total antioxidant capacity. However, no effects were demonstrated on any marker of oxidative damage to lipids (malondialdehyde F(2)-isoprostane) proteins (carbonyls) and DNA (Comet assay) and (functional) markers of oxidative stress (reduced/oxidized glutathione ratio, glutathione-S-transferase alpha, glutathione-S-transferase pi and nuclear transcription factor-kappaB). Apparently, these increased levels of antioxidants in serum were not sufficiently high to show beneficial changes with the selected biomarkers. Alternatively, oxidative stress in male smokers with a relatively low fruit and vegetable intake might have been still too low to demonstrate a beneficial effect of antioxidants.