The Truth About...Those Antioxidants
The terms “antioxidants” and “free radicals”- what do they mean exactly? Are antioxidants safe to take as a supplement? Tina & Leah tell you the truth, even if it is inconvenient. (Don’t blame the messengers!)
Antioxidants only do good, right? The theory is that antioxidants prevent cancer by limiting damage in and around our cells. Truth: Foods high in antioxidant compounds are associated with less cancer (think plants!). BUT, does this mean that antioxidant supplements are a good idea? The truth is in the data.
Another pressing question: “Are antioxidants safe during & after treatment for cancer?” This gets tricky. What prevents cancer is not always a good idea after it has been diagnosed. Radiation, and some chemotherapies, actually use oxidation as their means to kill cancer cells. Can antioxidants from food interfere? Can antioxidant supplements interfere? We discuss this in detail.
This is the second installment in our “Truth About…” pod. The idea of this series is to tackle a few topics where marketing messaging is flooding the scene, where misinformation abounds, and where we think people could be doing themselves harm with that not-so-discerning doctor, Dr. Google.
Join us as we talk about antioxidants and a couple of very popular products whose marketing teams are way ahead of their scientific advisory staff.
Links we mentioned on this episode and other cool stuff:
Juice Plus Vegetable+ Label Showing <1 gram fiber JuicePlus.com
Newsletter critiquing Juice Plus claims Google Archive, UC Berkeley Wellness Newsletter
False Claims by Juice Plus, Feb 2006 Google Archive, University of Kansas
Protandim study on athletic performance shows no improvement PLoS One
How increasing antioxidants in cells (Nrf2 activation) may promote cancer growth Cancer Discovery
Glutathione may increase tumor progression and treatment resistance Journal of Cell
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01:07 - Introduction
03:10 - What does "antioxidant" mean?
07:05 - Two systems of anti-oxidation
08:45 - Food versus supplement
10:56 - Color, color, color on your plate!
13:11 - Juice Plus, good idea or not?
14:27 - Tangent: Tina talks taste buds
16:07 - Back to Juice Plus...
20:12 - Plant pigments tell cells to make antioxidants
22:17 - Another way to increase your veggies
23:37 - Leah's Okra story
24:29 - Are frozen veggies good too?
27:30 - Protandim
33:44 - "Antioxidant" clarified
38:14 - Antioxidants & cancer incidence
38:22 - Beta-carotene & lung cancer
42:33 - NAC & Vitamin E
44:22 - Mouse studies? Seriously?
46:53 - Prostate cancer & Vitamin E
48:30 - Take home point
50:09 - Radiation treatment: no juices!
54:05 - Fan mail.