Troubling new analysis suggests that antioxidants—among our most cherished and heavily marketed of supplements—could be doing precisely the opposite of what they are marketed for. Alternatively of guarding towards cancer, antioxidant supplements may defend cancer cells from our body’s defenses.
A study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine displays that in mice that previously have cancer, antioxidant supplements lessen action of a gene called p53, the function of which is to decimate defective cells, including cancer cells. With p53 tuned down, the quantity of tumors in the mice tripled, as did their development fee and aggressiveness.
Antioxidants are a assortment of chemicals that “mop up” totally free radicals, the byproducts of cell metabolism that are also reactive for their (and our) very own good. Cost-free radical reactivity in the physique can injury or destroy healthful cells, and in some circumstances catalyze cell mutations that become cancerous.
Vitamin E (Photo credit: theogeo)
Although there’s no query that antioxidants derived from meals sources play a essential role in trying to keep free radicals in check out, the latest examine calls into question high ranges of antioxidant supplementation. Between the most well-liked antioxidant dietary supplements are Nutritional vitamins E and C, and beta-carotene, the pre-cursor kind of Vitamin A.
The unfortunate mice in this examine have been given lung cancer and then handled with Vitamin E and N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), an antioxidant purported to treat persistent obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Exercise of the p53 gene in the mice decreased as the size, variety and aggressiveness of the lung tumors increased. The researchers employed a method known as “RNA sequencing” to deconstruct the effect of the antioxidants on p53, and concluded that Vitamin E and NAC each contributed to the gene’s ineffectiveness against lung cancer.
What’s even far more troubling is proof from the study suggesting that antioxidants have a stronger effect on p53 early in the tumor development cycle. Quoting from the review: “…antioxidants may accelerate the development of early tumors or precancerous lesions in higher-threat populations such as smokers and individuals with persistent obstructive pulmonary condition who obtain NAC to relieve mucus production.”
As with all animal research, it is essential to note that these results have yet to be studied in healthier human subjects, and there’s nothing in this study suggesting that antioxidant supplementation leads to cancer in humans.
But, at the quite least, the study does raise a red flag about taking massive doses of antioxidant dietary supplements to ward off cancer. And for men and women already in a high-chance group, such as smokers or these with a family members historical past of cancer, this study signifies that sticking with a wholesome diet rich in antioxidant sources (this kind of as blueberries, apples and green tea) and ditching the dietary supplements might not be such a bad notion.
You can find David DiSalvo on Twitter @neuronarrative and at his website, The Daily Brain. His most current book is Brain Changer: How Harnessing Your Brain’s Power To Adapt Can Change Your Lifestyle.
Supplement Alert: Antioxidants Might Protect Cancer Cells Instead Of Protecting Us From Them
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