Antioxidants Attack Cancer Cells

A New Discovery Has Been Made About How Antioxidants Attack Cancer Cells

by: Russell Johnston

http://www.naturalnews.com/024447.html

(NaturalNews) There's a new reason, and a big one, to think that we benefit
from free-radical-inhibiting antioxidants. We've long thought that by
reducing free radicals, antioxidants can help prevent cancer, of course. But
a recent experiment at Johns Hopkins and published in the March 14 issue of
Science shows how antioxidants may be doing much more: interfering with the
growth of cancers that are already established, and potentially, even
reversing them once established, by knocking out communications signals
between cancer cells that encourage cells to grow and divide. Those
communications signals turn out to be... free radicals, which the cancer
cells often produce in abundance. Runaway cell division was actually slowed
when cancer cells were introduced to the antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine,
under experimental conditions. This now demonstrates the existence of a
mechanism that can allow a simple antioxidant to slow down or reverse a
cancer that's already in place.

Genetically altered connective tissue cells expressing the cancerous
H-RasV12 gene, together with non-cancerous cells were used in the study. The
cancer cells produced an abundance of superoxide, a well-known free-radical.
But cells' Ras or Rac1 genes produced proteins that blocked this signal and
kept the cell from turning cancerous, as did doses of other protein
inhibitors. However, it was considered more significant that antioxidants
could also inhibit runaway cell proliferation.

At least in the case of cancers produced by the model H-RasV12 gene, other
cells are influenced to become cancerous "at a distance" if free radicals or
protein-inhibitors aren't present in sufficient numbers to step in and stop
the process.

Kaikobad Irani cautiously summarizes his research by saying that "Control of
signaling pathways involving oxidants may explain why some antioxidants
appear to prevent development of certain cancers." If you're equally
inclined to caution, you may wish to make sure you're getting plenty of
antioxidants.

There are plenty of sources of antioxidants in a good diet, of course, but
by far the most potent and effective antioxidant known to science is as
cheap and available as a long, dark night: that is, melatonin. Turning your
light switch to the off position earlier, keeping it off longer, and making
sure that you are always sleeping in real darkness are excellent natural
ways to boost your melatonin production. Even occasional changes in your
routine, staying up for a couple of extra hours, can reduce your melatonin
for weeks, just as jet lag does.

About the author
Russell Johnston is a private health researcher and writer with a background
in the philosophy and history of science. He began DarknessHeals.com in
order to help publicize dramatic recent medical research showing the
extraordinary importance sleep and chronobiology have for everyone's health.