Antioxidants and Cancer Prevention – Part 3

At this time there are three other large-scale clinical trials ongoing looking into the effects of antioxidants on the treatment and prevention of cancer. The first is the Woman’s Health Study which is evaluating the effect of Vitamin E on the prevention of cancer in women 45 years of age and older. The second is taking place in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada to determine if Selenium and/or Vitamin E supplementation can prevent prostate cancer in men who are age 50 and older. The third study, Physicians Health Study Phase 2, is a follow-up on the earlier clinical trial investigating the effects of Vitamin E, Vitamin C and multivitamins on prostate cancer.

Each of these clinical trials are in their final phases of data collection and publication.

Although supplementation is available through health food stores and multivitamins, antioxidants which are acquired through whole foods are always more bioavailable and therefore better used by the body. Beta-Carotene is found in foods which have orange colors such as sweet potatoes, carrots, cantaloupe, apricots and pumpkin. Lutein is abundant in green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale. Lycopene is found in tomatoes, watermelon, apricots and pink grapefruit. Vitamin A is found in sweet potatoes, carrots and mozzarella cheese. Vitamin C is found in many fruits and vegetables and Vitamin E is found in almonds and soybean oils as well as broccoli and mangoes.

While the current research is inconsistent in linking the prevention of cancer or the treatment of cancer with anti-oxidant therapy, researchers do know that antioxidants are important in the fight against free radicals in the body. While they may not have a direct role in the prevention of cancer they most certainly do assist the body in maintaining good overall health which, inadvertently also helps the body to prevent the growth of cancer cells.

References:

(1) National Cancer Institute: Antioxidants and Cancer Prevention

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/prevention/antioxidants

(2) National Cancer Institute: Stomach Cancer Prevention

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/prevention/gastric/HealthProfessional/page1/AllPages/Print

(3) The New England Journal of Medicine: The Effect of Vitamin E and Beta Carotene on the Incidence of Lung Cancer and Other Cancers in Male Smokers

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199404143301501

(4) Harvard University: Physician Health Study I

http://phs.bwh.harvard.edu/phs1.htm