Antioxidant therapy

In alternative medicine, antioxidant therapy is a therapy that aims to reduce the effects of harmful free radicals and the effects of so-called oxidative stress and to combat diseases allegedly caused by them. It is used in the alternative medical treatment of cancer diseases , although according to the current state of knowledge an increased intake of antioxidants is harmful and possibly even hinders the effectiveness of conventional therapies.

General

Often high doses of antioxidants are given . These are vegetable or chemical substances with antioxidative character, that is, they bind in vitro (in the "test tube") aggressive oxidizing molecules, in particular the so-called oxygen radical (see Reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species ), which are free in many metabolic processes. Because free oxygen radicals also play a central role in carcinogenesis (carcinogenesis) caused by chemical carcinogens and ionizing radiation , radical-binding substances could possibly also influence the development of cancer in humans. However, there is a complete lack of scientific evidence for the benefit of antioxidant treatment in this indication. There are studies on many antioxidants, such as vitamin E , that even show damage from the treatment.

Substances

Substances with an antioxidant effect are:

the vitamins C and E, coenzyme Q10 ,
so-called secondary plant substances (in contrast to the "primary" substances fat, carbohydrates and protein): carotenoids , flavonoids , polyphenols, etc.
the animal enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase ,
the trace elements manganese and selenium .

criticism

It is controversial whether the laboratory results mentioned can be transferred to humans, and thus real cancer prevention (prophylaxis) is possible through certain forms of nutrition. According to the current state of knowledge, an additional supply of antioxidants in the form of pills, powders or juices is harmful. People whose diet contains a lot of fruit and vegetables are said to be around 20% less likely to develop certain forms of cancer. On the other hand, a long-term study published in 2004 showed no difference between the two groups.

In addition, it is methodologically questionable whether the substances that may be suitable for cancer prevention should be used uncritically for cancer treatment , especially if they are used in parallel with conventional therapy. Theoretically, it would be conceivable that the antioxidant substances could also protect cancer cells - as well as healthy tissue - from being destroyed by chemotherapy and radiation therapy, i.e. not only reduce the side effects, but also reduce the hoped-for main effect of these therapies. Ionizing radiation and some chemotherapeutic agents produce oxygen radicals in the target cells and destroy them in this way. This contrary thesis has so far only been proven in animal experiments.

None of the substances mentioned has a scientifically proven effect against cancer in humans.

Web links

Vitamins and trace elements: (Not) a plus for health? Cancer information service of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg. November 3, 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2014.

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↑ ^a ^b Goran Bjelakovic, Dimitrinka Nikolova, Lise Lotte Gluud, Rosa G. Simonetti, Christian Gluud: Mortality in Randomized Trials of Antioxidant Supplements for Primary and Secondary Prevention. Systematic Review and Metaanalysis. In: JAMA. 297, 2007, pp. 842-857. PMID 17327526 , (online)
↑ SWR documentation on antioxidant supplements (complete, 43 min)
^ Diane Voyatzis Norwood: Eating More Fruits and Vegetables May Lower Risk of Heart Disease, Not Cancer. November 2004
↑ G. Bjelakovic, D. Nikolova, RG Simonetti, C. Gluud: Antioxidant supplements for preventing gastrointestinal cancers. In: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 16, 2008, p. CD004183. PMID 18677777
↑ G. Bjelakovic, D. Nikolova, LL Gluud, RG Simonetti, C. Gluud: Antioxidant supplements for prevention of mortality in healthy participants and patients with various diseases. In: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 16, 2008, p. CD007176. PMID 18425980 .

[goran-1] Goran Bjelakovic, Dimitrinka Nikolova, Lise Lotte Gluud, Rosa G. Simonetti, Christian Gluud: Mortality in Randomized Trials of Antioxidant Supplements for Primary and Secondary Prevention. Systematic Review and Metaanalysis. In: JAMA. 297, 2007, pp. 842-857. PMID 17327526 , (online)

[2] SWR documentation on antioxidant supplements (complete, 43 min)

[3] Diane Voyatzis Norwood: Eating More Fruits and Vegetables May Lower Risk of Heart Disease, Not Cancer. November 2004

[4] G. Bjelakovic, D. Nikolova, RG Simonetti, C. Gluud: Antioxidant supplements for preventing gastrointestinal cancers. In: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 16, 2008, p. CD004183. PMID 18677777

[5] G. Bjelakovic, D. Nikolova, LL Gluud, RG Simonetti, C. Gluud: Antioxidant supplements for prevention of mortality in healthy participants and patients with various diseases. In: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 16, 2008, p. CD007176. PMID 18425980 .