The Optimum Level of Antioxidants

The epidemiological evidence and the guidelines of the National Cancer Institute and the National Research Council/National Academy of Sciences suggest that at least two fruits and three vegetables per day is a desirable intake.

Since ascorbate, tocopherol, and ß-carotene supplements are inexpensive and high doses are remarkably non-toxic, there is a school that believes that supplements, in addition to a diet containing recommended levels of fruits and vegetables, are desirable.

There is suggestive, but inadequate epidemiological and biochemical evidence bearing on the question. What is clear is that fruits and vegetables contain many necessary micronutrients in addition to antioxidants, some of which also can prevent mutations. Folic acid, for example, is required for the synthesis of the nucleotides in DNA.

Inadequate intake has been shown to cause chromosome breaks and increased cancer and birth defects. Folate deficiency may be a risk factor for myocardial infarction as well. Niacin is required for making poly (ADP-ribose), a component of DNA repair. Other micronutrients are also likely to be part of our defense systems.

The U.S. Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) for ascorbate and tocopherol intake--there is no guideline for [[beta]]-carotene independent of its provitamin A activity--are not adequate for several reasons:

1) The amount recommended, e.g., 60 mg/day for ascorbate, is primarily for avoiding an observable deficiency syndrome, e.g., scurvy, and is not necessarily the amount for optimum lifetime health, which is usually not known.

2) A recommended blood level of each antioxidant, e.g., 60 uM ascorbate, would be a more desirable standard. People vary considerably in the intake required to keep their blood level adequate. A smoker, for example, needs to take in several times as much ascorbate as a non-smoker to keep the blood level the same.

Infections may also cause an oxidative stress that leads to antioxidant depletion by activating phagocytic cells. The observation that antioxidant inadequacy is associated with oxidative damage to DNA of the germ line as well as somatic cells, emphasizes the urgency of defining adequate blood levels.

Since only 9% of Americans, and fewer in most other countries, are eating five fruits and vegetables per day, there is a great opportunity to improve health by increasing consumption.

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Oxidant stress, Birth defects, and Childhood Cancer

Oxidative lesions in sperm DNA are increased 250% when levels of dietary ascorbate is insufficient to keep seminal fluid ascorbate to an adequate level. A sizable percentage of the U.S. population ingest inadequate levels of dietary ascorbate, particularly single males, the poor, and smokers. The oxidants in cigarette smoke deplete the antioxidants in plasma. Smokers must eat two to three times more ascorbate than non-smokers to achieve the same level of ascorbate in blood, but they rarely do.

In a comparison of sperm from smokers and nonsmokers Viczian found that the number of sperm and the percent of mobile sperm decrease significantly in smokers, and this decrease is dependent on the dose and duration of smoking.

Paternal smoking, in particular, appears to increase the risk of birth defects and childhood cancer in their offspring. One expects, and finds, a much larger contribution to the germ line mutation rate from the father than the mother, age of the father being an important risk factor. Thus, inadequate diets (and smoking) of fathers appear to result not only in damage to their own DNA but to the DNA of their sperm, an effect that may reverberate down future generations.

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Tobacco, cancer, and heart disease

Smoking, which we and others argue is a major oxidative stress in addition to a source of mutagens, contributes to about one-third of U.S. cancer, about one-quarter of U.S. heart disease and, about 400,000 premature deaths per year in the U.S..

Tobacco is a major global cause of cancer, but it causes even more deaths by other diseases. Tobacco will cause about 3 million deaths per year worldwide in the l990s and will, at present rates of smoking, cause about l0 million deaths per year a few decades from now.

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Genetic determinants of lung cancer short-term survival: the role of glutathione-related genes

Survival of lung cancer patients has been dismal. Glutathione enzymes are directly involved in the metabolism of platinum compounds, a group of important chemotherapeutic drugs in cancer treatment. We tested the hypothesis that genes encoding Glutathione enzymes may predict lung cancer short-term survival. Methods: We studied DNA polymorphisms of 250 primary lung cancer patients at four Glutathione-related loci: GSTP1, GSTM1, GSTT1 and γ-GCS that encode Glutathione-S-transferase-π,Glutathione-S-transferase-μ, Glutathione-S-transferase-θ, and γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase, respectively. Pearson's χ2-square tests, Kaplan–Meier survival curves, log rank tests, and Cox regression models were applied in the analysis.

Results: There were 150 (60%) men and 100 (40%) women in this study. Seventeen percent of the patients had never smoked cigarettes, and 61% had stopped smoking at least 6 months prior to their lung cancer diagnosis. Among never smokers, those with null (N) or low (L) genotype experienced a better 1-year-survival rate than those with a positive (P) or high (H) genotype. Patients with P or H at two loci (PP or PH) were compared with patients with N or L at one or both loci (other). Among never smokers, 1-year-survival rates were 60–78% for patients with PP or PH genotypes compared with 89–100% for other types. The survival advantage was greater among advanced-stage patients who were NL or NN than low-stage patients. Similar results were not observed among smokers.

Conclusions: Glutathione-related genes may determine lung cancer survival. Our results, if confirmed, would suggest new directions to enhance cancer treatment, and provide easily measurable markers for clinicians to plan patient-specific therapy.

Ping Yangab, Akira Yokomizoc, Henry D Tazelaarc, Randolph S Markse, Timothy G Lesnicka, Daniel L Millerd, Jeff A Sloana, Eric S Edellf, Rebecca L Meyera, James Jettef, Wanguo Liuc

Another Great Reason to Quit Smoking

Cigarettes also contribute to glutathione deficiency because they speed up the rate of glutathione usage in the body. If you have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, you should quit smoking. If you don’t have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, you should quit smoking.

Notes: Always consult with your health practitioner before you start or stop any routine that may affect your Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. For management of your symptoms, try Max GXL . This safe and natural supplement has been proven effective against Chronic Fatigue.

Glutathione's three major roles in the body are summarized by the letters A-B-C.
- Anti-oxidant
- Blood Booster
- Cell Detoxifier