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Vitamin C Curbs Cancer Growth
Posted Aug 18, 2010
Wellington (dpa) - Vitamin C can help curb the growth of cancer
cells, according to New Zealand scientists who claim breakthrough
research to provide the first real evidence of a connection between
the vitamin and the development of tumours.
"Our results offer a promising and simple intervention to help in
our fight against cancer at the level of both prevention and cure,"
Associate Professor Margreet Vissers, of the University of Otago's
Free Radical Research Group, said recently.
She said the role of vitamin C in cancer treatment had been the
subject of debate for years, with many anecdotal accounts of the
vitamin's beneficial role.
While her previous research had demonstrated the vitamin's
importance in maintaining cell health and hinted at its potential for
limiting diseases such as cancer, the latest study looked at whether
vitamin C levels were lowered in patients with endometrial tumours.
She said the study found that tumours were less able to accumulate
vitamin C compared with normal healthy tissue and that this related
to the ability of the tumour to survive and grow.
"Tumours with low vitamin C levels had more of a protein called
HIF-1 which allows them to thrive in conditions of stress," she said.
"The findings are significant as they show, for the first time, a
direct relationship between HIF-1 and vitamin C levels in tumours and
suggest it would be beneficial for people with cancer cells to have
more vitamin C."
"This could help limit the rate of tumour growth, increase the
responsiveness to chemotherapy and may prevent the formation of solid
tumours."
Details of the research are published in the latest edition of the
Cancer Research journal.
Copyright 2010 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
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