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Antioxidants during treatment
I was advised to stay off my anti-oxidants during chemo/radiation and don't think it did me any harm.
Any experiences or comments about this subject?
Altern Ther Health Med. 2007 Mar-Apr;13(2):40-7.
Antioxidants and other nutrients do not interfere with chemotherapy or radiation therapy and can increase kill and increase survival, Part 2.
Simone CB 2nd, Simone NL, Simone V, Simone CB.
Simone Protective Cancer Institute in Lawrenceville, NJ, USA.
Comment in:
Abstract
PURPOSE: Some in the oncology community contend that patients undergoing chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy should not use food supplement antioxidants and other nutrients. Oncologists at an influential oncology institution contended that antioxidants interfere with radiation and some chemotherapies because those modalities kill by generating free radicals that are neutralized by antioxidants, and that folic acid interferes with methotrexate. This is despite the common use of amifostine and dexrazoxane, 2 prescription antioxidants, during chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.
DESIGN: To assess all evidence concerning antioxidant and other nutrients used concomitantly with chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. The MEDLINE and CANCERLIT databases were searched from 1965 to November 2003 using the words vitamins, antioxidants, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Bibliographies of articles were searched. All studies reporting concomitant nutrient use with chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy (280 peer-reviewed articles including 62 in vitro and 218 in vivo) were indiscriminately included.
RESULTS: Fifty human clinical randomized or observational trials have been conducted, involving 8,521 patients using beta-carotene; vitamins A, C, and E; selenium; cysteine; B vitamins; vitamin D3; vitamin K3; and glutathione as single agents or in combination.
CONCLUSIONS: Since the 1970s, 280 peer-reviewed in vitro and in vivo studies, including 50 human studies involving 8,521 patients, 5,081 of whom were given nutrients, have consistently shown that do not interfere with therapeutic modalities for cancer. Furthermore, non-prescription antioxidants and other nutrients enhance the killing of therapeutic modalities for cancer, decrease their side effects, and protect normal tissue. In 15 human studies, 3,738 patients who took non-prescription antioxidants and other nutrients actually had increased survival.
PMID: 17405678 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Views: 28
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Art on -
My Radiation/Oncologist told me during and after treatment his very simple solution....nutrition, nutrition, nutrition. He told me it took him 15 years to develop a nutritional program to enhance therapy, increase energy, reduce weight loss and increase survival. I chose to follow his advice and take my chances with survival....hope he's right!
Art
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Permalink Reply by AmyLCA on -
Art -- Did he share his nutrition program with you? I'd be interested in hearing what he has to say, and it might be helpful to others. If you haven't posted it already, would you mind posting it in the CAM/Nutrition forum?
Amy
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Permalink Reply by AmyLCA on
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Hey David,
I have heard mixed things about antioxidants. Even in this article, which appears to be well-cited, there doesn't seem to be a clear answer: http://csuvets.colostate.edu/pain/Articlespdf/ChemotherapyandAntiox...
One thing is for sure. To echo what Art said earlier this month when you posted this, most researchers, nutritionists, and doctors might agree that getting vitamins from food as opposed to supplements is the safest way to go. Nutrition is a complex thing, and to isolate vitamins and minerals into a pill form itself may actually put you at a disadvantage over getting the nutrient in food form.
Amy
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Permalink Reply by Lobsterman-Dave on -
My oncologist told me to stay away from antioxidents while undergoing chemo informing me that it could interfere with the treatment. Nothing like poisons killing the good cells as well as the bad! I have been for years a herb and vitamin nut, even selling them at one point so it was very difficult for me to give them up while going treatment last summer. Aside from all the antioxidents I took, for years I was using from a local health food store a product called Organic Super Tonic which is organic onion and garlic juice, and cayenne peper used twice a day with a dropper and mixing it with juice. Anything from the garlic family(fresh not cooked) enhances your immune system. Even stopped that for awhile. But I gained weight going through chemo and radiation, gaining about 25 pounds. Now, if I go through chemo again, I will have to give them up again. I must agree with Amy, there is no clear indication if giving up antioxidents affects treatment.
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Permalink Reply by momofthree on -
Hi,
I am new to this site, but I wanted to share with you a book someone just gave me who went through chemo/radiation with very few side effects and is now living cancer free and is incredibly healthy. She said she had four friends in her cancer group who read this book. Three of them followed it religiously one of them did not. The one who didn't is in a wheel chair because of neuropathy as a result of chemo. The name of the book is How to Prevent and Treat Cancer with Natural Medicine by Dr. Michael Murray, Dr. Tim Birdsall, Dr. Joseph Pizzorno and Dr. Paul Reilly. It comes recommended by Cancer Treatment Centers of America which combines natural medicine with traditional cancer treatment.
Hope this is helpful.
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