Antioxidants, Free Radicals and Cancer

Cancer is believed to be the result of external factors combined with a hereditary disposition for cancer.

Research evidence has demonstrated that free radicals frequently have a role in the process of cancer initiation and promotion. If free radical damage occurs in the nucleus cell and damages DNA, it can cause mutations. If certain segments of the DNA are affected it may initiate malignant change, potentially leading to caner.

Free radicals and antioxidants are among the important discoveries of the past 100 years. All the major diseases confronting people today are caused by or aggravated by free radicals.

Antioxidants interact with and stabilize free radicals and may prevent some of the damage free radicals might otherwise cause.
Based on the results of cell culture and animal research, it appears that vitamin E and other antioxidants may alter cancer incidence and growth through their actions as anticarcinogens, quenching free radicals or reacting with their products.

Antioxidants are powerful free radical scavengers in the body, while free radicals are highly reactive chemicals substance such as superoxide, hydroxyl radical, singlet oxygen etc. Too many free radicals and too few antioxidants lead to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is a situation when there is a serious imbalance in the ration of free radicals to antioxidants.

At the high levels, reactive oxygen species can be damaging to cells and may contributes to cellular dysfunctional disease.

Examples of antioxidants include beta-carotene, lycopene, vitamin C, E and A and other substances.
Antioxidants, Free Radicals and Cancer