Antioxidants with Chemotherapy

My patients that are receiving chemo. and/or radiotherapy tell me that their Dr's. tell them not to take antioxidant nutritional supplements. Upon investigation it appears that a prescribed known anti-oxidant drug Amifostine is used to protect against the side effects of chemo. and radiation and that antioxidant rich foods are not prohibited by Oncologists during treatment. So the picture of the use of antioxidants may be more nuanced than what Oncologists are saying. Below are literature reviews published in respected journals that shed more light on this issue. Alex

Antioxidants and Other Nutrients Do Not Interfere With Chemotherapy or Radiation Therapy and Can Increase Kill and Increase Survival, Part 2 (pdf)
Charles B. Simone II, MD; Nicole L. Simone, MD; Victoria Simone, RN; Charles B. Simone, MD
Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine Mar/Apr 2007 • Vol 13, No. 2

Should Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy Be Prescribed Antioxidants?

Ralph W. Moss, PhD Cancer Communications, Lemont, Pennsylvania,
Integrative Cancer Therapies, Vol. 5, No. 1, 63-82 (2006)

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