Antioxidants have been promoted as being wonder substances, capable of fighting aging, cancer, and all kinds of other harmful things. But a new report from the researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center suggests the opposite – antioxidants may promote the growth of cancer – in mice.
The researchers transplanted melanoma cells treated with antioxidants or nothing to see if the tumors would spread. In cancer terms, spreading is known as metastasizing and that is a bad thing, especially in melanoma because of its propensity to seek out the lungs, liver, and brain when it spreads. The mice that received the antioxidants actually had tumors that grew larger and spread more quickly throughout the body than the mice who didn’t receive anything.
It would be one thing if this was the only study that came up with these results, but apparently there are other studies (mentioned in the article) that came up with the same result. So, the question is, we’ve been told for years that fresh fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants are a key to helping prevent cancer. Now, research is showing that antioxidants may in fact be more beneficial to cancer cells than normal cells. Do people like me, who probably harbor some random melanoma cells in their bodies, avoid any topical antioxidants and cross our fingers that the antioxidants that we consume somehow don’t help those cancer cells? Do I go on a diet of M&Ms and plain filtered water to ensure that I don’t get any additional antioxidants – although I’ll probably come down with a case of scurvy in the meantime?
As someone whose beauty regime relies on a topical antioxidant but who has also has had a rare type of melanoma, I’m worried that my quest for youthful looking skin may also trigger the rapid growth and spreading of a cancer that is already notable for rapid growth and spreading.