Surprising Properties for Antioxidants: Some Compounds Can Damage DNA, but May Treat Cancer

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120322174621.htm

ScienceDaily (Mar. 22, 2012) — Antioxidants have long been thought to have anti-aging properties, primarily by protecting a person's genetic material from damaging chemicals. The story, however, now appears to be much more complicated.

National Institutes of Health researchers from two institutes and one center have demonstrated that some antioxidants damage DNA and kill cells instead of protecting them. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on March 19, 2012, also suggest that this surprising capability may be good for treating cancer, but may prove cautionary when using antioxidant-based medicines to treat other disorders, such as diabetes.

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