While many people may take vitamins like Vitamin C and E to improve their health, there may be some dangers in doing so, according to a new study published on August 31.
The peer-reviewed study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, found that the vitamins can stimulate the growth of new blood vessels within cancer cells. These new vessels can aid the cancer in growing and spreading across the body.
“We’ve found that antioxidants activate a mechanism that causes cancer tumors to form new blood vessels, which is surprising since it was previously thought that antioxidants have a protective effect,” said author Martin Bergö to New Atlas. “The new blood vessels nourish the tumors and can help them grow and spread.”
Think of a seesaw that only balances when there are equal weights at either end. There may be a vitamin "seesaw" with a pro-oxidant end and an anti-oxidant one. The healthy body generally knows how to maintain this homeostasis.
This is what our friend Bard has to say on the issue.
There is some evidence that antioxidants can stimulate the spread of existing cancers. Antioxidants are substances that can prevent or delay cell damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that can damage cells. However, some studies have shown that antioxidants can also damage cells and make them more likely to spread.
I personally would never mess with glutathione
For example, one study found that mice with tumors that were treated with glutathione were more likely to have their tumors spread than mice that were not treated with glutathione. Another study found that glutathione could increase the migration of cancer cells in a petri dish. However, other studies have shown that glutathione can also help to prevent cancer. For example, one study found that people who took glutathione supplements were less likely to develop cancer than people who did not take supplements. More research is needed to determine the effects of glutathione on cancer. It is possible that glutathione can have both beneficial and harmful effects on cancer, depending on the type of cancer and the way it is used.
However, other studies have shown that antioxidants can also help to prevent cancer. For example, one study found that people who took antioxidant supplements were less likely to develop cancer than people who did not take supplements
More research is needed to determine the effects of antioxidants on cancer. It is possible that antioxidants can have both beneficial and harmful effects on cancer, depending on the type of antioxidant and the way it is used.
If, like me, you have beginning macular degeneration, the NIH and most ophthalmologists recommend that you take antioxidant-containing AREDS 2 supplements, which trials have shown to slow progression in many cases. And if, like me, you have mPCa, studies such as the one above suggest that antioxidants can help cancer grow and spread. So, waddya gonna do?
My urologist and my retinal/vitreo specialist both recommended that I stop AREDS2 supplements specifically because of the Vitamin E problem. Now, I just stick with Lutein. Vitamin E is used in a lot of antioxidant formulas as a preservative, as well.
I note that for the vitamins described in your link, the recommended 2 capsules/day contain 1787% DV vitamin E. For Presser Vision (common brand in drug stores) AREDS 2, the recommended 2 capsules/day contain 1200% DV Vitamin E. So you save a few bucks but you still get the antioxidants.
That argument is sort of putting the cart before the horse if you think about it. I would encourage you to talk to a close family member to investigate if that is how you are making other health decisions.
For example, it doesn't cost a lot of time or money to get on a plane and travel to a medical center of excellence to get a second opinion. Yet many people think it is too much of a bother and too expensive.
Yet they have no problem spending more money on a plumber.
Or more time traveling on a vacation.
Or, in our shared demographic, a huge statistical preference for voting for political candidates who want to permanently destroy the institution of democracy. Using the voting franchise to put in office people who want to end the franchise of voting.
Interesting...with Vitamins its always 'Wacka-Mole.' You get one benefit against Lord knows what...
Tried to make heads or tails of the study; really technical stuff. What I could see was;
1. Mostly tied to lung cancer (some mention of kidney and breast cancer noted)
2. No human trials that I could see; the results I could ready were all based on petri dish outcomes, mostly 7 day, observations
3. Study is specifically directed at impacts of VIT's on genes...
Dont know...I have taken vitamins for years. Supplements as well. I posted a few human trials showing their benefits. This article notwithstanding, I will choose to continue to take them. I need to see these results replicated in human trials with good power (i.e. a good sample) and low 'p' values (P.S. the study noted here has very good p values but again, its all petri dish or animal trials and these dont guarantee the same results once human trails are run).
I talked some time ago with Martin Bergö of Karolinska Institute, lead author of the sttudy , who is an advocate on the perils of antioxidant supplementation for existing cancer. He travels around Sweden holding talks on it. He has a burning passion on this.I want to stress that I am on very uncertain ground in the following! - but my take is that he may well have a point as regards supplementation with strong antioxidants, like vitamins C and E, which I believe his research has focused on.
But I am more doubtful about this being the case for what I understand as less strong antioxidants like curcumin, green tea, zinc etc - a high percentage of all supps are antioxidants - which he also claims are dangerous to supplement (on .
my specific questions he mentioned the danger for at least these three to me).
To the best of my ability I then researched in particular curcumin and to a much lesser extent green tea/EGCG . The studies I found didn't show any progression of existing cancer when supplementing which contradicts what he says. They didn't show any protection either, there was no statistical effect one way or the other. So for the time being, I am continuing with intermittent curcumin (for possible non-cancer benefis) and EGCG.
When I asked him about statins, he said that although they are antioxidants, that effect is so weak that they pose no danger.
Perhaps the question is att what level of antioxidant strength that potential danger arises......
I would not even dare guess at any safe supplementation dose of these!I get all the vitamin C I need from all the veggies, berries and some fruit that I eat.
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