Swedish researchers have warned smokers and lung cancer patients that taking vitamins may help the growth of tumours, a study published Wednesday revealed.
People who smoke or have lung cancer should think twice about taking vitamin supplements, according to a Swedish study Wednesday that showed certain antioxidants may make tumors grow faster.
Lab mice that already had cancer were given vitamin E and a drug called acetylcysteine, which sped the growth of their tumors and made them die faster than mice that did not ingest supplements.
“Antioxidants caused a three-fold increase in the number of tumors and also tumor aggressiveness, and the antioxidants caused the mice to die twice as fast,” said study author Martin Bergo of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.
If we gave a low dose, tumors increased a little bit. And if we gave a high dose, tumors increased a lot.”
Research on human lung cancer cells growing in a lab dish also showed that the antioxidants caused the cells to multiply faster than they would have alone, suggesting the same might happen in human patients. While more work needs to be done to confirm the effect in people, Bergo urged those with lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and smokers to take caution.
“You can walk around with an undiagnosed lung tumor for a long time,” he said. ”If you are in this patient group, then taking extra antioxidants might be harmful and it could speed up the growth of that tumor.”
The body produces its own antioxidants to prevent DNA damage from chemicals known as free radicals, but needs more from healthy foods like leafy greens, vegetables and fruits to stay healthy. However, a large body of research on antioxidant supplements in humans has returned mixed results.
Some studies have suggested that people who take antioxidant supplements actually face a higher risk of cancer than those who do not…….
Read the whole story: http://www.thelocal.se/20140130/vitamin-supplements-can-speed-up-cancer-study
Source: The local - AFP