While many proponents of dietary antioxidant or supplements will lay claim they have unbelievable anticancer properties , amongst other things , the lit on these molecules is conflicting and brute and human studies of antioxidant as a potential Cancer the Crab therapy have been mostly disappointing . In fact , some test have even find that antioxidant supplements canworsensome cancers . For example , vitamin Eincreases cancer burdenand mortality rate in mouse manikin of lung cancer . This was specially surprising since certain property of Cancer the Crab cellular phone seemed to advise that , in theory , they should be beneficial . The topic is therefore puzzling and call for much needed clarification .
In an attempt to address this issue , two researchers scoured the lit and came up with a supposition that may excuse why these supplements are ineffective as a malignant neoplastic disease therapy . The study has been issue inThe New England Journal of Medicine .
Their research is centered on the system at play within jail cell that wield a counterbalance between oxidizing and anti - oxidizing mote . These molecule are involved in so calledredox reactionsthat involve the transfer of negatron from one factor to another . These reactions control certain cellular processes and also generate energy .
While oxidants are vital to cellular function , if they are bring about in excess they can damage the cell . Cells produce natural antioxidants to keep this from happening , but in cancer cellphone the balance is disrupted and high level of these so scream responsive oxygen species ( ROS ) are raise , promoting genus Cancer . This is because ROS can cause genic mutation and activate pathway that stimulate cell growth . It therefore seemed logical to reason out that antioxidants would thwart cancer advancement , but that does n’t seem to be the case .
The researcherssuggestthat this is because antioxidants from the diet or appurtenance are n’t getting to the right-hand place in the cellular phone , where ROS are produced and accumulate , deliver them useless . However , they note the successes of antioxidants that have been modified in such a way that they are targeted to a specific cellular location- the sausage - influence energy factories call mitochondria .
They alsoproposea chemical mechanism for the tumor - accelerating properties of dietary antioxidants . Certain cellular protein that have tumor suppressive place are actually trip by ROS ; therefore decreasing ROS prevents their activating and subsequent action . Furthermore , some tumour encourage protein are attenuated by ROS .
Interestingly , the levels of natural antioxidants are also boosted in Crab cell , which seems to be a mechanism to prevent uncontrolled damage by the high level of ROS . They thereforesuggesttherapies designed to advance the levels of oxidants in mobile phone could be beneficial . Indeed , radiotherapy and sure chemotherapy bet on ROS to kill the cells .
To reason , the researchers suggest thatinhibiting antioxidant proteinsmay be a utile strategy to battle malignant neoplastic disease . Studies so far in rodent theoretical account of certain cancers have testify promise . The challenge that scientists are introduce with is key antioxidants and pathways that are used by cancer cell , not normal cells . They therefore indicate that antioxidant profiling of tumour cellular phone and neighboring normal cell may give useful issue that could ultimately serve identify potential remedial targets .
[ ViaNEJMandCSHL ]
