Nearly 30 years after Nobel laureate US biochemist Linus Paulingsuggested that vitamin C supplements can prevent cancer, researchersfrom Johns Hopkins Institute in Baltimore have confirmed that in miceat least, vitamin C and potentially other antioxidants can inhibitthe growth of some cancer tumours.Conventional wisdom has it that antioxidants mop up volatile oxygenfree radical molecules and prevent DNA damage associated withdegenerative diseases associated with aging, such as cancers,cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease,immune dysfunction, cataracts and macular degeneration.The Hopkins study, however, found that the antioxidants' actual roleis to destabilise a tumour's ability to grow under oxygen-starvedconditions.The work, led by Dr Chi Dang, professor of medicine and oncology atJohns Hopkins, is published in the medical journal Cancer Cell.So far, studies linking antioxidants to cancer prevention have beenconflicting. "Research has conclusively linked diet and lifestylewith some cancers such as those of the uterus, breast, colon andstomach, but there is no conclusive proof that antioxidants can beprescribed for cancer prevention."However, vitamin C and other antioxidants are good for health andboost immunity, we ask cancer survivors to include a lot of freshfruits and vegetables in their diet," says Dr Sameer Kaul, seniorconsultant in oncology, Apollo Hospital.When it comes to boost antioxidant intake, food sources ofantioxidants are better than diet supplements, health newsletter MayoClinic Health Letter said, quoting recent research. The best-knownfood components with antioxidant activities are vitamins A, C, and E;i-carotene; the mineral selenium; and the compound lycopene."Many antioxidants can be identified in food by their distinctivecolours the deep red of cherries and of tomatoes; the orange ofcarrots; the yellow of mangos; and the blue-purple of red cabbage,plums, blackberries (jamun), brinjal and red grapes. Purple, in fact,is considered the best source of antioxidants,
" says nutritionistRekha Sharma, senior vice president, VLCC Healthcare.
