Beta Carotene and Smoking
by: Vincent
Recent studies have shown that smoking and taking Beta Carotene
supplements do not go together. Beta Carotene is an antioxidant, which
means that it inactivates free radicals in the body. In the process it
oxidizes and can become a kind of pro-oxidant or form oxidized by-
products. Normally we don't have to worry about the by-products of Beta
Carotene's antioxidant behavior. If you maintain a healthy diet with a
variety of antioxidants they will work in combination to protect one
another from oxidizing.
It appears that smokers on the other hand do have something to worry
about. Two studies ending in the nineties found that people who smoked at
least one pack a day or drank higher than average amounts of alcohol and
took Beta Carotene or Vitamin A supplements were at a higher risk for
developing lung cancer and a higher risk of dying. Each of these trials
showed that Beta Carotene wasn't helping many of its smoking participants
and was in fact hurting some of them. The first trial called The Alpha-
Tocopheral, Beta Carotene Cancer Prevention Trial showed eighteen percent
more lung cancer and eight percent more deaths in male smokers who took
20mg of Beta Carotene. The second trial called the Beta Carotene and
Retinol Efficacy Trial (CARET) initial results showed that there was
twenty eight percent more lung cancer in the group of smokers and former
smokers it had taking Beta Carotene and Vitamin A and seventeen percent
more deaths. These results were so similar to the Cancer Prevention Trial
final results that they told the participants to stop taking the
supplements before the trial was scheduled to end.
Why is this so? Well, since it's thought that anti-oxidants protect each
other from oxidizing scientists suspect that smokers don't have enough of
the other types of antioxidant vitamins in their systems to prevent this
from occurring. It has been found that smokers have low levels of Vitamin
C in their blood stream-and that's' one of the antioxidants. So the Beta
Carotene oxidizes in the body after it uses up its antioxidant properties
an in effect becomes a free radical damaging or exacerbating damage done
to the cells of smokers lungs which leads to abnormal cell growth and
cancer. With low levels of other kinds of antioxidants in their bodies
there's nothing to stop it. Scientists believe that the two antioxidants
that work together to protect the body from Beta Carotene pro oxidant
damage are Vitamins E and C.
If you are a smoker you should by no means try to avoid Beta Carotene or
Vitamin A in your diet. These trials seem to show that all anti-oxidants
work together to prevent cancer and isolating one or the other for
consumption, especially in a non-natural form, simply negates its effects
and sometimes causes problems. What you should be doing is focusing on
eating a lot of foods with antioxidants in combination. There is no
evidence as of current that suggests eating foods with Beta Carotene in
them can increase the risk of cancer in smokers.
Visit http://www.stanley-home-products.com
Author Vincent Platania represents the Stanley Home Products. Stanley
Home Products has been in business since 1936, and offers high quality
home and personal care products to keep your home and your body clean.
Visit http://www.stanley-home-products.com