14 DAY TRIAL // A team of researchers from the University of Gothenburg, in Sweden and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston, discovered in a new study that vitamin E and a chemical called NAC (N-acetylcysteine), both of which are known and popular antioxidants, appear to speed up the spread of lung cancer in mice, rather than curb its development.
The results of this investigation are very worrying because millions of people take vitamin E in various forms every day, seeking to profit from its antioxidant properties. Furthermore, most people take up to 400 international units of vitamin E daily, whereas the recommended dosage is 22.4 IU per day.
Details of the research were published in the January 29 issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine, Nature News reports. Studies conducted on the influence of substances such as vitamin E and β-carotene on the development of lung cancer have thus far yielded mixed results, expert say.
The new study found that antioxidants might indeed have some protective properties for the body before tumors set in. However, once cancer has appeared, taking vitamin E or NAC might in fact prove harmful for the subsequent evolution of cancer, the team warns. More studies are definitely needed to understand this weird connection.