Antioxidants - Cancer Preventive Or Stimulative? - The Big Debate Rages...
This may prove a bolt out of the blue. Much against widely studied and held notion that antioxidants-rich food such as berries, nuts, fish and green tea helps prevent cancer, a recent study has thrown open the possibility of these foods stimulating cancerous growth.
A shocking proposition for those who gorge themselves on such stuff in a bid to remain immune to cancer. However, the study remains inconclusive and until such time, conclusive evidence is established based on further studies, it doesn't look prudent to shun all these good things.
A study conducted by researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center has found that antioxidants may increase the spread of cancer cells.
An antioxidant is a molecule that inhibits the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction which involves the loss of electrons, which can produce free radicals, which in turn can start chain reactions. Antioxidants such as vitamins C and E and beta-carotene found in leafy vegetables and green tea are believed to protect cells from damage by acting as defenders against these free radicals. Hence their intake has been recommended by doctors for years.
A study conducted by researcher Sean Morrison and his team in mice infected with skin cancer cells from human patients found that those mice that were given doses of N-acetylcysteine, a common antioxidant, showed higher levels of cancer cells in their blood.
Another group of mice infected with skin cancer cells was not given N-acetylcysteine. These were seen to have far less number of tumors. The set of mice that had been given N-acetylcysteine showed more tumors and larger tumors. These tumors were more widespread than in the other group of mice.
N-acetylcysteine is commonly used in nutritional and bodybuilding supplements. It has been used as a treatment for patients with HIV/AIDS and in children with certain genetic disorders. The result could be an inference that bad cells from cancer may benefit more from antioxidants than normal cells.
Generally, cancer metastasis - the spread from the primary site to other parts of the body - is an inefficient process as many cells die along the way. One reason for this may be the oxidative stress due to the body's inability to counteract the harmful effect of free radicals. One surmise arising out of the study is that the antioxidants supplements may give new life to those cancerous cells that are about to die during the metastasis. (dpa-AFX)
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