Good science trumps superstition
Incredibly, there are many oncologists out there who advise their patients to not take antioxidants while going through chemotherapy out of fear that the chemo can be compromised.
You mean to tell me, don’t fight free radicals at a time when your body needs all of the strength it can get as it’s being inundated with the poison of chemo?
A recent review of the role of antioxidants during chemotherapy has quelled the misguided notion that antioxidants may do more harm than good.
Looking at 845 studies from multiple scientific databases, one research group analyzed the effects of combining antioxidant supplements with chemotherapy treatments. There were 1,554 patients represented overall with a variety of cancers. Antioxidants that patients used included vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, glutathione, selenium, ellagic acid, and beta-carotene.
Studies that included data on survival showed similar or better survival rates for the antioxidant groups versus the control groups that used no supplements. There was absolutely no science to back the notion that antioxidant supplementation would hurt the effectiveness of chemotherapy.
And those nasty chemo side effects, such as diarrhea, weight loss, nerve damage, and low blood counts? The antioxidant groups had similar or lower rates of these debilitating side effects than did the control groups.
The review wholeheartedly supports the fact that antioxidants may increase survival rates, the patient’s ability to tolerate the chemotherapy, and tumor response.
This is truly great news for anyone who has to endure chemotherapy treatment and recuperation from it. But if you bring this up with your doctor and he gives you a hard time, maybe it’s time for a second opinion from a more open-minded doctor who’s keeping up with the latest medical literature.
