By Ladd McNamara, M.D.
Everything on this website is for informational purposes only. Consult your physician before using nutritional supplements. Please read full medical disclaimer via the link in the footer below.
The use of vitamin antioxidants during chemo and radiation therapy is controversial. There are many studies that demonstrate the anti-cancer effects of antioxidants. Antioxidants are known to inhibit cancer initiation, proliferation, metastases, and recurrence. In addition, many of these micronutrients cause cancer cell death (apoptosis). However, a recent study out of Germany suggested that the beneficial effects of micronutrient supplements do not prevail during chemo or radiation therapy for postmenopausal breast cancer. In fact, the use of nutritional supplements during chemo or radiation therapy may be harmful for long-term results.
In January 2019, researchers published a prospective study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition involving 2223 postmenopausal women who were diagnosed with non-metastatic breast cancer, and followed for a median of 6 years from time of diagnosis. Thirty-five percent of women were taking antioxidant supplements prior to diagnosis of breast cancer, and that number increased to 45% after diagnosis.
Whether a postmenopausal woman uses supplements during chemo or radiation therapy for breast cancer or not, she should truly consider my breast cancer protocol, provided within my Dr. Ladd VIP program, when not receiving treatment.
Researchers found that there was a worsened survival rate for postmenopausal women who used the antioxidant supplements during chemo or radiation therapy, as well as a higher recurrence rate of breast cancer, compared to postmenopausal women who did not use antioxidant supplements during chemo or radiation therapy. However, overall post-diagnosis supplement use outside of chemo or radiation therapy did not demonstrate a worsened prognosis.
My Thoughts
I have long been a proponent of the use of high quality nutritional supplements to help reduce the risk of all types of cancer, and based upon prior research, it has been worth considering quality supplement use during chemo and radiation therapy. Since antioxidants inhibit and kill cancer cells in numerous ways, it has made sense to suggest supplements during chemo or radiation therapy. In fact, I have an article and cancer protocol for such circumstances on my Dr. Ladd VIP website.
Prior studies indicate that the use of supplements do not get in the way of chemo or radiation therapy, and may be beneficial in improving prognosis. However, this study gives me pause about this philosophy.
I have had many patients and acquaintances use high quality supplements during chemo and radiation therapy, as well as post therapy. These women have done very well through such grueling cancer therapies. They have maintained their energy to do normal activities, and their white blood cell counts remained in normal range.
Maybe it is possible that the quality (potency, purity, and bio-availability) of nutritional supplements make a difference in a woman’s prognosis after breast cancer. Depending upon which antioxidants are used, the doses used, and the spectrum of antioxidants, the results could be different than what this study found. It is hard to know without a head-to-head study of the various antioxidants used in this study, and a high quality protocol, like the one I have.
It is hard to make conclusions when various studies involving nutritional supplements involve various supplements; various antioxidants, various spectrum of micronutrients, various potencies, various purities, various bio-availabilities, and various amounts, or doses. There is no apples-to-apples comparison.
Not all supplements are the same. Researchers do not use standardized supplement protocols. And very few researchers study the effects of a broad spectrum of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids together. There is a real synergistic effect when using combinations of antioxidants, let alone combinations of micronutrients in general. My protocols take advantage of this powerful synergy. And most importantly, the quality of the raw ingredients and the manufacturing process makes the difference regarding expected results.
Both traditional cancer therapies and antioxidants exert anti-cancer effects. Chemo and radiation therapy has a powerful anti-cancer effect, but also damages and kills normal cells. Micronutrient supplements do not harm cells when used properly, but work with the cell’s biology to both inhibit and kill cancer cells. However, it appears from this study that the combination of chemo or radiation therapy and nutritional supplements may make the other modality less effective.
All I can say is that this study gives me pause about the use of supplements during active cancer therapies. That being said, this is not the final word on whether supplement use is harmful or beneficial during chemo or radiation therapy. Additional studies are needed, but even then, we will be faced with questions about any conclusions, because of the variables regarding the micronutrients which may being used in any particular study.
My Suggestion
I think a postmenopausal woman who is diagnosed with non-metastatic breast cancer, should thoughtfully consider the use of nutritional supplements during chemo or radiation therapy, and consult her personal physician before coming to a conclusion about use during active cancer treatment. Whether a postmenopausal woman uses supplements during chemo or radiation therapy for breast cancer or not, she should truly consider my breast cancer protocol, provided within my Dr. Ladd VIP program, when not actively receiving treatment. And she should only take the highest quality nutritional supplements when she does.
Everything on this website is for informational purposes only. Consult your physician before using nutritional supplements. Please read full medical disclaimer via the link in the footer below.
Reference
- Jung AY, et al. Antioxidant supplementation and breast cancer prognosis in postmenopausal women undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Am J Clin Nutr. 2019 Jan 1;109(1):69-78.
