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# Vitamin C cuts Radiation-Induced Cancer Risk
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/vitamin_c_cuts_cancer_risk_0316120605/
- Published: 2012-03-16T08:03:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:23:10.000Z
- Description: Of 16 men who worked 5 to 6 weeks in a contaminated area at Fukushima, the four given intravenous vitamin C beforehand plus antioxidant supplements throughout showed no significant change in blood chemistry, free DNA or 47 cancer-related genes. Three who went without showed elevated risk.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Vitamins, Nutrition, Vitamin C, Cancer, #vivvo-import

By David Liu, PHD

Friday March 1, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new study of nuclear workers at the Fukushima nuclear plant shows that intravenous administration of vitamin C and oral supplementation of other antioxidative nutrients prior to and during exposure to cancer-causing radiation prevents cancer or reduce cancer risk.

According to the study, 16 men aged 32 to 59 worked 5 to 6 weeks in a radiation contaminated area, collecting contaminated water, measuring radiation levels, operating heavy machines, and removing debris.

Of these 16 men, four workers who took intravenous vitamin C (25,000 milligrams) therapy prior to entering the contaminated area and continued taking anti-oxidative supplements during the working period were found to have no significant change in blood chemistry, plasma levels of free DNA, and 47 cancer-related gene expression.

Three other workers who did not have preventive intravenous vitamin C were found at elevated cancer risk. However, these men received two months of intervention with intravenous vitamin C and oral anti-oxidative nutritional supplements, free DNA returned to normal levels and cancer risk was significantly reduced.

An early study reported 20 years ago by Venkat R. Narra and colleagues already found that pretreatment with vitamin C, either by oral or intravenous injection, increased sperm head survival after male mice received radioactive Iodine-131.

Another study led by Korkina L, et al. showed that oral intake of alpha-lipoic acid and vitamin E reduced urinary radioactivity and oxidative stress in irradiated children in Chernobyl.

Numerous studies have also shown that other vitamins, minerals and antioxidative nutrients help protect against the development of radiation-induced adverse effects.

Intravenous injection of high doses of vitamin C has been known to be able to treat cancer. Even medical researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that high doses of vitamin C can prohibit cancer cell growth.

People in the United States are exposed more often to medical ionizing radiation (x-ray) than their counterparts in lower income countries. Nuclear tests in 50's and 60's have also reportedly raised background radiation in as many as 14 states.

Doctors appose use of antioxidants during radiotherapy arguing that these antiodixative agents can reduce the efficacy of radiotherapy. The problem is that when radiation kills cancerous cells, it kills also healthy cells or cause cell injures leading to an increase in cancer risk.

Vitamin C has no known side effects. You can't make this nutrient yourselves and you must eat food or take vitamin c supplements to maintain a healthy level of this vital nutrient.

Vitamin C can prevent a series of chronic diseases including diabetes, gastric cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, melanoma, Alzheimer's disease, leukemia, eye diseases like age-related cataract, premature death, heart failure, smoking-induced atherosclerosis, hypertension, infections like swine flu, gout, skin damage, stroke, and heart disease among others.

References:

1\. Yanagisawa A. Effect of Vitamin C and anti-oxidative nutrition on radiation-induced gene expression in Fukushima nuclear plant workers. Free download of full presentation at [http://www.doctoryourself.com/Radiation\_VitC.pptx.pdf](http://www.doctoryourself.com/Radiation%5FVitC.pptx.pdf?ref=foodconsumer.org)

2\. Venkat R. Narra, Roger W. Howell, Kandula S. R. Sastry and Dandamudi V. Rao. J Nucl Med,1993\. Vol. 34 No. 4, p 637-640\. [http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/34/4/637.long](http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/34/4/637.long?ref=foodconsumer.org)

3\. Korkina L, et al. Antioxidant therapy in children affected by irradiation from the Chernobyl nuclear accident. Biochem Soc Trans,1993\. 21:314S. PMID: 8224459 [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=8224459](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=8224459&ref=foodconsumer.org)