Q. I just had a lumpectomy for a small malignant breast tumor and will soon begin radiation treatment. What nutrients can I take to minimize radiation damage to healthy tissue?
A. Until recently there was a belief among some oncologists that nutrients, especially antioxidants, rendered radiation and chemotherapy ineffective because these therapies depend on free radicals in order to destroy cancerous tissues. Talk to your doctor about this before starting antioxidant supplements, but credible research indicates that antioxidants protect normal cells, though not cancer cells, from free-radical damage.
Most commonly, radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays to kill cancer cells. Healthy cells near the cancer site may also be damaged, and the extent of this damage depends mostly on the radiation dose and the part of the body that is treated. Radiation therapy to the chest may cause swallowing problems, esophageal reflux (the backward flow of the stomach contents into the esophagus), tiredness, or nausea. Radiation does the most damage to tissues that grow rapidly, such as the gastrointestinal tract and skin. If localized skin reactions occur at the treatment site, topical hyaluronic acid cream may help. Think of hyaluronic acid as the glue that holds skin cells together and keeps them healthy.
At one time or another, almost every nutrient there is has been promoted as providing protection against radiation damage, so a diet high in nutrients is reasonable. Make every calorie count by emphasizing fresh foods and minimizing refined foods. Supplementation with key antioxidant nutrients that can be obtained in a blend, such as vitamin C, vitamin E, bioflavonoids, and carotenoids, is also sensible.
One important antioxidant that may not be included in an ordinary antioxidant blend, and one especially useful for radiation protection, is lipoic acid, also called alpha-lipoic acid or, more rarely, thioctic acid. Russian researchers have studied the effects of lipoic acid supplements on the extent of free-radical damage to children who lived near Chernobyl, Ukraine, when the near-meltdown of the nuclear power plant resulted in extensive radioactive fallout. After 28 days of lipoic acid supplements, previously elevated signs of radiation damage fell to normal, plus liver and kidney functions returned to normal. In animal experiments, a dose of radiation sufficient to kill 65% of mice will kill only 10% of animals supplemented with lipoic acid.
A further benefit of lipoic acid is its capacity to raise the levels of glutathione. Low levels of glutathione are associated with free-radical damage. Radiation devastates the body’s supply of glutathione and allows free radicals to run rampant through our body’s tissues and organs. Researchers at the Russian Institute of Pediatric Hematology report that lipoic acid is one of the most effective anti-radiation treatments they have found to date.
Lipoic acid is the only antioxidant that is both fat-soluble and water-soluble. It is easily absorbed and transported across cell membranes, and while most antioxidants provide protection in only one of these areas, lipoic acid fights free-radical damage in both fatty and watery regions of cells. A recent study indicates that when lipoic acid is missing, other antioxidants do not interact well and have reduced ability to protect cells.
This article appears in May 28 • 2004.